Class J 5 JO 7 
Book 

COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



J 



DR. P. A. MATTSON 



Through 
The Land of Promise 

Reminiscences of A Journey in Bible Lands 
Rev. P. A. Mattson, Ph.D., D.D. 




Boston 

The Stratford Company, Publishers 
1920 



Copyright 1920 
The STRATFORD CO., Publishers 
Boston, Mass. 



©CU604252 



NOV 18 1320 



The Alpine Press, Boston, Mass., U. S. A 



Preface 

When leaving this book to the public. I am not doing it 
without a certain hesitation, as I am well acquainted with its 
deficiencies. In these critical times it is rather risky to send 
out a book, but I trust that the reader will have forbearance 
with it, and remember that it is intended to be a travelogue. 

During my journeys in the Orient on the trains and on 
horseback I have made my annotations of the impressions of the 
various places, and during the past years I have arranged them 
in their present form. The limited time at my disposal in writing 
this book will in some measure atone for its defects. 

Some might say that we have too many works on travels in 
the Bible Lands, and I grant that there are a quite a number 
already, but it is a fact that the more works on travel we read, 
the more we learn to know the countries through which the tour- 
ists have gone, and we find that one has observed something that 
another has entirely passed by. The author of this book has 
endeavored to localize the holy places as much as possible, and 
this may be the characteristic feature of this work. From this 
point of view it may not have been written in vain. 

As this work is going out into the world, we trust that it 
may in its humble way lead the reader into the great subjects 
which the blessed Book unfolds to us. To be able to understand 
the Bible properly, we must also know something of the coun- 
tries, their customs and manners, where the various books of the 
Bible were written, and if the author has in some way been able 
to create an interest for these great subjects which the Scriptures 
open up for us, these lines will have served their purpose. 

THE AUTHOR. 
Cannon Falls, Minn., September 28th, 1919. 



" Jerusalem, my happy home, 
Name ever dear to me ! 
When shall my labors have an end 
In joy, and peace, with thee? 

When shall these eyes thy heaven-bnilt walls 

And pearly gates behold? 

Thy bulwarks with salvation strong, 

And streets of shining gold?" 



Contents 



CHAPTER PAGE 

I. Departure from home and the journey to 

Europe 1 

II. Here and there in Sweden, Norway and 

Denmark ....... 19 

III. In Germany — The Lutherplaces ... 46 

IV. To Constantinople and What I Saw There 68 
V. From Constantinople to Athens ... 94 

VI. In Athens and Corinth 105 

VII. In Smyrna and Ephesus 118 

VIII. From Smyrna to Beirut 129 

IX. From Beirut to Damascus . . . . 150 

X. Through Bashan to Haifa .... 185 

XI. Over the Plain of Sharon to Jaffa . . . 215 

XII. To the Holy City . . . . . .225 

XIII. In the Holy City 232 

XIV. Journeys in Samaria 288 

XV. From Jenin to Tiberias 318 

XVI. At the Sea of Galilee 345 

XVII. In Northern Galilee . . . . .365 

XVIII. Excursions to Mizpa, Emmaus, Gibeon and 

Rama . . 383 

XIX. Journeys in Philistia . . . . .389 

XX. To Bethlehem and Hebron .... 405 

XXI. Excursions to Jericho, the Dead Sea and 

Jordan 421 

XXII. From Jerusalem to Port Said .... 434 



CONTENTS 



XXIII. From Port Said to Suez 437 

XXIV. Through Goshen to Cairo 442 

XXV. Cairo, Heliopolis and the Pyramids . . 445 

XXVI. Sakkara and Memphis 467 

XXVII. From Cairo via Alexandria to Naples . . 473 

XXVIII. Pompeii and Puteoli 485 

XXIX. In the Eternal City— Rome . . . .490 

XXX. In Northern Italy 498 

XXXI. Over the Alps to Paris 503 

XXXII. The Journey Homeward .... 507 



Chapter I 



DEPARTURE FROM HOME AND THE 
JOURNEY TO EUROPE 

" Canaan, bright Canaan, 
The glorious land of Canaan; 
Our Canaan is a happy place, 
Come, let us go to Canaan!" 

THROUGH the Bible countries ! What a thought for a Bible 
student ! Who has not at some time in his life entertained 
the thought of making such a journey ! I, too, am one of those 
who from his early childhood had entertained the idea of travel- 
ing in the Bible lands, and when everything was ready for my 
departure, I could hardly realize that it was true and that I 
was going. 

The Bible countries have had, and will continue to have, 
their peculiar significance for those who have learned to love and 
appreciate the treasures, which God in His infinite love has 
given us in His word. Anyone born and bred within the folds 
of the Christian church, has had an opportunity to become fa- 
miliar with that matchless story of the Bible characters, who 
have lived and labored, struggled and died in the Land of 
Promise, and above all with the wonderful story of Him, who left 
the glory of His Father, came down to this sinful and corrupt 
world to give Himself a ransom for the sins of the world and to 
show us a new and living way to eternal bliss. 

Can there be anyone with soul so dead, who has not, while 
reading the Holy Writ, at some time or another, been longing to 
wander along the pathways, where the Godman and his chosen 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



twelve were wandering? Who has not at some time in his life 
longed to see the native country of the Master and to meditate 
at the birthplace of the Christian religion ? 

For various reasons the author had not been able to under- 
take this journey until quite late; but "better late than never" 
holds good in this case also. At last the hindrances were removed 
and I prepared for my departure. 

My first duty was to secure leave of absence as President of 
Gustavus Adolphus College. My Conference granted me a six 
months' leave and I could now continue my preparations for 
the journey. 

As I. had to travel in Turkish countries, it was necessary to 
secure a passport from the Secretary of State at Washing- 
ton, D. C. 

For one dollar I got my passport from Mr. P. G. Knox. On 
top of the passport is the American Eagle. Under the shadow 
of its protecting wings I went forth into the world. When you 
have the protection of the great and respected American Eagle, 
you feel safe to travel among Turks and Arabs and other half- 
civilized nations. 

But, my dear reader, do you know of a passport that gives 
greater security than our beloved country, the United States? 
Yes, there is one! You have an old, tried and true book in 
your home. It is the Bible. Do you know the value of the 
91st Psalm of David as a safe guide and protection? In this 
psalm we read, ' ' He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most 
High, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say 
of the Lord : He is my refuge and my fortress ; my God, in Him 
will I trust" (Ps. 91: 1-2). The word of God is the best pass- 
port; it has the signature of Him, who has all power in heaven 
and on earth. Without such a passport I did not wish to travel 

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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



among half-civilized nations, though I have the greatest respect 
for the passport of my country. 

There were two reasons why I wished to travel at this time. 
Owing to strenuous duties at the institution, my health was not 
of the best and I wished to recuperate. This was the first cause 
of my travel. In the second place, anyone who has labored con- 
tinually for twenty-five years without any recreation, hails with 
joy a period of rest. 

The young boy, thrown out into the world to shift for him- 
self on the stormy ocean of humanity, to row his own little boat, 
does not always have happy and cloudless days. If he deter- 
mines to secure an education at some institution of learning and 
has no one to depend upon but himself, he will have to fight a 
good fight to get through. A lot of hard work is ahead of him, 
to be sure, but ' ' where there is a will, there is a way. ' ' 

If he is stationed in one of our larger cities, after having 
completed his college and seminary courses, he will have to strug- 
gle to keep up. But if the office of the ministry is not the easiest, 
the duties of the college president are not less responsible and 
exacting. Before I began my work at the college as president, 
an old professor said to me, "I tell you, brother, a college pres- 
idency is no sinecure." I have already found out that there is 
a lot of truth in these words. The college president in these days, 
when so many duties are placed upon him, has a strenuous call- 
ing. Recreation will be very welcome for such a man. 

With a United States passport in my pocket, a letter of 
recommendation from the Governor of Minnesota, John A. John- 
son, and from the president of our church, I gathered my things 
together and started on my long journey. On the twenty-ninth of 
May, a clear and beautiful morning, I left the home on College 
Hill at St. Peter, Minnesota, with my family, and went to Hop- 
kins, where I left my wife and children. I confided myself and 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



them into the hands of the loving Father in heaven, bade them 
farewell and departed. At Minneapolis I secured some things for 
my journey, and in the evening boarded the train for Chicago. 
Here I attended divine worship in the Trinity Lutheran Church, 
and the next morning I boarded a Baltimore and Ohio limited for 
Washington. I wished to see the capital of my country, and for 
this reason I went to New York via Washington. 

Our train rushed ahead over the plains of Ohio and Indiana, 
and then across the picturesque Alleghany mountains. The fol- 
lowing day found me in Washington. I wanted to see the 
sights and my first object was Mt. Vernon, the home of the 
Father of my country. There we observed the halls and the bed- 
rooms, the kitchen with its highly interesting fireplace and the 
old cooking utensils, etc. We must not forget the little building 
nearby, where Martha Washington worked at the loom. You can 
see the loom itself, the cloth she wove, and many other interest- 
ing objects. In the buildings which belong to the Government 
there are many antiquities of great value. From these you can 
get an insight into colonial life and customs. A visit to this 
highly interesting place on the banks of the Potomac is inspiring. 
It was very strange to stand at the grave of the Father of his 
country. I felt as though his mighty and protecting spirit was 
hovering over the vicinity. We thank God for such great men, 
gigantic characters in history, who have left marked footprints 
on the sands of time, 

In the late afternoon I returned to the capital. The follow- 
ing morning I went to the Turkish minister to secure his signa- 
ture to my passport. The Secretary of State had informed me 
that this could be done in Washington. The Turkish minister 
refused, however, to do this and referred me to the Turkish Con- 
sulate at New York. I had to return without accomplishing any- 
thing, and I thought, that the mighty of this world also make 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



their mistakes. The rest of the day was spent in our beautiful 
capital city, seeing its important sights. First I went to see the 
Washington monument. It is located in a beautiful part of the 
city, and resembles in form the Egyptian obelisks, being 555 
feet high. You can reach the top by elevator or by climbing the 
winding stairs. I took the elevator, for I was very tired and 
needed rest. From the top of this monument you have a mag- 
nificent view over the city of Washington, and to distances far 
beyond. Next I visited the White House. This building is con- 
spicuous because of its beautiful architecture, and its location 
is most excellent. During the day I passed through various Gov- 
ernment buildings, such as the Treasury, the War and Navy 
buildings, the Smithsonian Institute, and last the Capitol build- 
ing. The Senate was in session and I wished to hear what these 
men had to say about questions in which the public is vitally 
interested. Large gatherings of people filled the galleries. Several 
of the Senators partook in the discussion, while I was there. It 
was interesting to listen to the little Senator La Follette from 
Wisconsin and to Senator Nelson from Minnesota. Senator 
Depew also spoke a little while. I prophesied and my prophecy 
came true, that the worthy Senators would not satisfy the public. 
How strange, that the servants of the people do not comply with 
the wishes of the people ! Too often they go the errands of the 
political bosses, and the capitalists and suit themselves. 

I went to the railroad station to meet my fellow-travelers. 
In the afternoon, I went to the Hall of Statues, in the Capitol 
Building. It was very interesting to see the statues of prominent 
sons and daughters of our country. It was a matter of great 
interest to me to find among those thirty-seven statues, one who 
is spoken of very often, the Swede, John Hanson, the President 
of the first Congress. In a certain sense, he is really the first 
President of this country. I felt proud of the fact, that a de- 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



scendant of the early pioneers from Sweden, had been able to 
serve his country to such an extent. 

Early the next morning I left Washington and my company 
to go to New York and Philadelphia. I wanted to see the sights 
at these cities and also those at Norristown. I was particularly 
interested in the old Swedish churches at these places, those 
landmarks of bygone days. It is worth while to see them, and 
be reminded of the chapter these people have written in the 
annals of our country. To be able to see these places and these 
churches, I had to catch each moment on the wing and I did so. 
Having arrived at Philadelphia, I went at once to Norristown, 
where I found the old Swedish church. This church was founded 
in 1760. It has been recently restored inside, and there is noth- 
ing that reminds us of the early pioneers, except a picture of 
Rev. Nicolas Collin. A baptismal font stands by the altar, and 
this is a gift from the king of Sweden, the late King Oscar II. 
He gave this font to the church, while he was crown prince. On 
the baptismal font these words are written, ' ' Sweden 's blessings 
to Sweden's children." 

In this section of the country the Swedes settled, built homes 
for themselves, tried to educate their children, so that they 
might be good and trusty members of the church and loyal citi- 
zens, and outside the church, in the cemetery, they found their 
last resting places, where they slumber until the day of resurrec- 
tion. The old Swedes have finished their course and gone. Their 
children have taken up the work of the fathers, but they belong 
no more to the church of their fathers, the Lutheran, but to the 
Episcopal church. 

I could not stay here very long, so I hastened to return to 
Philadelphia, that I might have an opportunity to see another 
one of the early monuments of our pioneers, the Gloria Dei 
church of that city. I found it open. I went in to see, and 



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meditate. This building is erected exactly on the spot where the 
Swedes, who came across in the Kalmar Key and Bird Grip in 
1638, built the first church in 1639. The first church was a log 
structure. It was very strange, indeed, to walk about in this 
sanctuary, and call to mind the epochs in its history. Here they 
used to worship, and now their dust rests under the monuments 
outside of the church. 

On the north side of the altar, we find the following inscrip- 
tion: "This tablet is erected to the memory of Nicolas Collin, 
D. D., whose remains repose beneath. He was the last of the 
long line of missionaries, sent by the mother church of Sweden, 
to give the bread of life to her hungering children on this distant 
shore. He became pastor of this church and of King Sessing and 
Upper Merion churches in July, 1766. He died October 7th, 
1831, in his 87th year." Beside this stone tablet, which is placed 
in the wall, is another, erected by pastor Collin, to commemorate 
the death of his wife. On the tablet the following words are in- 
scribed, and they bear testimony to his love and esteem for his 
spouse : ' ' Beneath repose the earthly remains of Hanna, wife of 
Nicolas Collin, Rector of the Swedish churches in Pennsylvania, 
departed on the 29th of September 1797, aged 47 years and 2 
months. He erected this monumental record of her piety, kind- 
ness, economy and neatness, her affection to him in many trying 
scenes ; of his grief which shall not cease until they meet in the 
land of the living. ' 7 

Above the aisle, on the gallery railing, the following words 
are inscribed, "The people that walked in darkness have seen a 
great light: they that dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, 
upon them hath the light shone. ' ' A little to the side, the follow- 
ing words are written, "Glory be to God on high." Having 
looked around for some time in the church, I went out on the 
cemetery and observed the inscriptions on the tombstones, 



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and then I went to the railroad station. On my way to the station, 
I passed by the Liberty Hall, that great landmark in the history 
of our country. Every American knows by heart, or ought to 
know that it was in this Hall that the Declaration of Independ- 
ence was adopted, the 4th of July, 1776. I recalled as I passed by. 
that it was John Morton, another Swede, who put his decisive 
name to the document. A name was lacking and Mr. Morton put 
his name on it and then it passed. In doing this, he offended many 
who were royalists. In his last hours he sent this message to an old 
friend : * ' Tell them that they will live to see the day when they 
will acknowledge, that my signing the Declaration of Independ- 
ence was the most glorious service I ever rendered my country. ' ' 
John Morton died in 1777, leaving an honored name, of which 
we are all proud. In this connection, it might be well to remind 
ourselves that Sweden was the first power in Europe that volun- 
tarily offered its friendship to the United States, in that great 
struggle for independence. 

It might also be interesting to note that the man who from 
the tower of Liberty Hall rang in the new era was a Swede. His 
little boy cried out in Swedish, when they had passed the Declara- 
tion of Independence, "Ring, papa, ring," and the bell rang 
out Liberty to all the land and all the inhabitants thereof. 

At last it was time for me to board the train for New York. 
Now I was on the way to the largest city in the world. My inten- 
tion was to look over this city very carefully, but rain and gloomy 
weather set in, and my plans could not be carried out. 

My time was very limited. The 5th of June our boat, 
"California" was to leave for Europe. But let us, nevertheless, 
note a few things about our large cities. It is quite generally 
admitted, that the emigration of our people, from the country 
to our large cities is one of the most serious problems before our 
nation at the present time. The prosaic life in the country does 



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not seem to appeal to the rising generation. Our larger cities 
have grown very fast. As late as 1850 one-eighth of the popula- 
tion of the land lived in cities. Now it has grown to one-fourth. 

Mr. Wendell Phillips said at one time, that our larger 
cities will give occasion for greater misery, than did slavery. 
Perhaps the prophecy of this clear sighted man will be fulfilled ! 
The tendency, at present, is towards the city, but the strong 
influx to the cities is nothing new. We remember that Virgil, 
the Roman poet, when Rome was overpopulated, said: "The 
plow is no more held in honor, the farmer is carried away, and 
the field is covered with weeds." When such times come — and 
they are coming, for history is constantly repeating itself — then 
the nation will stand near the brink of destruction. 

But we must now continue. The 5th of June we gathered 
at the dock, where " California " was ready to start. What 
consolation to have the privilege to confide in the living God at 
all times, and especially, when we shall sail out on the treacher- 
ous ocean! What a rest to sit under the shadow of the Most 
High! Our boat has 9,000 tons' displacement, is 515 feet long, 
and was built only a few years ago. At 10 :15 A. M. the anchor is 
lifted, our boat turns, and steams out on the Hudson River. On 
the shore is a great throng of people. All are waving farewell. I 
know only a few in that great mass. It is an exciting moment, 
when one bids farewell to his country, even if it is only for a 
short time. I felt then, as I have always felt, that America is my 
country. I have no other. Slowly our boat glides down the Hud- 
son River towards the sea, passing by Ellis island, the Statue of 
Liberty and Sandy Hook. It was not long before we saw the 
last glimpse of land. When others took off their hats to bid fare- 
well, I took off mine, and with a prayer in my heart, I bade 
farewell to my country, my church, and all that is dear to the 
human heart, praying that God would protect them, my family, 



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and the institution where the chnrch had placed me. It did not 
take very long before the "California" commenced to roll among 
the waves, and as a consequence thereof, many faces became pale 
and a good many went down into their cabins. Others were de- 
termined to remain on deck and I saw several times, how some 
manifested a surprising generosity at the railing. Most of the 
passengers kept up their courage all day, and were at their 
places at meals. 

The next day was Sunday, and a stormy day it was. Very 
few appeared at the tables and we could hold no services. The 
7th of June came with beautiful weather, and the passengers 
were in a happy mood. The following day we were at New- 
foundland banks, and for some days we had excellent weather 
and all went well. An ocean steamer is a little world in itself. 
Here you find representatives of all kinds of people. On our 
boat there were seven ministers and we held religious services 
every evening. What a quieting power the word of God has 
everywhere, and especially on the stormy ocean ! 

Having been on the Atlantic about a week, we see the first 
glimpses of land about 10 o'clock in the morning. It is the 
mountain tops of the northern part of Ireland. At three o'clock 
P. M. we are anchored at Moville, and a number of passengers 
land at this place. Then our boat sets out for Scotland, and 
we land in Firth of Clyde the next morning, and at Green- 
wich on June 14th. A few hours later we land at Glascow, and 
the same morning, we continue our journey to Edinburgh, the 
beautiful capital city of Scotland. 

Our company went to hotel Waverley, and there we found 
a hearty welcome. In the afternoon we went out with a guide 
to see the city. We must see Holyrood Castle, of course. Here 
the rulers of Scotland used to live. This magnificent building 
is now used as a sort of museum, and is open to the public. 



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Here, in this castle, Queen Mary used to live. The history 
of Queen Mary is a sad one. Having passed through many 
vicissitudes, she sought refuge at the court of Queen Elizabeth 
of England. Here she was taken captive, held in prison for 
eighteen years, and then executed. 

From this castle we went to the house where John Knox 
used to live. This house is in fairly good condition and is now 
used as a museum. Not far from this house is the Parliament 
building. 

In front of the Parliament building is a statue of King 
Charles II. He is represented as sitting on a horse, and there 
is a little face behind his head. He is known as the "two-faced 
king." Alas, that there are found so many of this class at the 
present time! From this place we went to the Castle of Edin- 
burgh, which is located in the middle of the city. From this 
height there is a splendid view over the whole vicinity. Among 
other things, we saw here a cemetery for dogs. At the graves, 
tombstones are placed, stating the names and the merits of the 
various dogs while they were living. Strange sight indeed ! 

A little distance from this church we saw the home of Sir 
Walter Scott, and near by, a statue of Thomas Chalmers. His 
name is inscribed on the monument, and the dates 1780-1847. 
The statue represents him standing with the Bible in his hand. 
His work did not pass away with the spring breezes, but re- 
mains in the hearts of his countrymen. The city has an ideal 
location by the Firth of Forth, and a colossal bridge is built over 
the bay. It is one of the largest bridges in the world. 

The 15th of June we went to London. The country through 
which we passed, was very beautiful and well kept, looking like 
a garden. Along the road we pass castles, villas, farms and 
well kept parks. Every square foot seems to be utilized in some 
way. 



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At six o'clock in the evening, our train rushed into Easton, 
in the great metropolis. We had some difficulty in finding a 
place, because all the hotels were overcrowded. At last we found 
a splendid place on Bedford street, near the station. 

Our time was very limited, even here, and we had to rush 
ahead. We went to St. Paul's cathedral. This is a very large 
building and is located in the middle of the city. The style is 
not so easy as that of the other cathedrals on the continent. It 
is sooty on the outside, and dark within. Some one has happily 
defined dirt as ' ' matter out of place ' ' and this definition is quite 
correct. The Englishmen thought so too, as they were cleaning 
their cathedral on the outside at the time we were there. 

We were in the cathedral several times and beheld the vari- 
ous choirs, altars, statues, sarcophagi and the numerous inscrip- 
tions on the walls and statues. Great men and women slumber 
here their last sleep till the last trumpet shall call them to rise. 
Here are the earthly remains of poets, warriors, scientists, the- 
ologians, philanthropists and architects. On the monuments of 
these dead we read in short sentences what they have done in 
life. Sometimes a few words will tell a long story. But the 
tourist must not forget the crypt or the basement — sit venia 
verbo. We went down into this crypt, and truly there are many 
things of interest to be seen. In this crypt sleeps the architect 
of this building, Christoffer Wren. On the wall above his tomb 
these words are inscribed in Latin, "Lector, si monumentum 
requiris, circumspice ! " (Reader, if you seek the monument, 
look around!). This building is surely a worthy monument to 
his memory. Here in this crypt many illustrious sons of Eng- 
land have found a last restingplace. It is really a ' ' kingdom of 
the dead." Going up in the cathedral proper, we see many 
names, noted in history, and among them I wish to mention 
General Gordon. On his monument the following words are 



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written, " Major General Charles H. Gordon, who at all times 
and everywhere gave his strength to the weak, his substance to 
the poor, and his heart to God. ' ' He died in the battle at Khar- 
tum, Africa, Jan. 26, 1885. The memory of the righteous will 
remain. We bring nothing with us into this life and shall take 
nothing out of it, save our own souls. Some time ago a cer- 
tain man, walking on the streets of New York and meeting an- 
other, was informed, that a certain man in the city had died. 
He was asked the question, "How much did he leave?" The 
answer was, "Everything." That is right. When we die, we 
leave everything behind us and take with us our conscience, 
either a good or a bad one. 

As I was walking among these monuments, I thought, "0 
that these graves could speak!" If the departed dead could 
bring us a message from the great beyond, what a message would 
they not bring ! 

Let us now go to the tower. This historic building is located 
near the Thames, not far from London bridge. It is a union of 
several buildings. The Tower was founded in 1078, by William 
the Conqueror, and his purpose in doing so was to give protec- 
tion to the city. In the course of time this building has served 
as a fort, palace, and prison. At present it is used as a garrison 
for soldiers, and also as a kind of museum. Inside the first walls 
there are open places and on these the soldiers were marching 
around. Think of the history of the Tower of London ! Let us 
remind ourselves of a few things that have happened here. 
Within these gloomy walls many a prisoner has been held, while 
he was awaiting the time of his execution or the day of his liberty. 
One cell, particularly, made a deep impression on me. It is 
in the form of a chapel and called St. Peter ad Vincula. There 
are many graves at the altar. Here we see the graves of the 
Dukes of Somerset and Northumberland. They are buried be- 

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tween the graves of Queens Ann Boleyn and Catherine Howard. 
These four persons were executed during the bloody regime of 
Henry VIII. In front of the chapel is an open place, called 
' ' Tower Green, ' ' and was used in ancient times as a burial place. 
In the middle of the open space is a piece of marble and this is 
surrounded by an iron chain. This marble slab and iron chain 
were placed there by the late Queen Victoria, and indicate the 
place where the scaffold used to stand. The history of England 
is very bloody and many of the kings have ruled with an iron 
sceptre. A certain prisoner had written, "More suffering for 
Christ's sake in this world, more glory for him in the next." 
Think of the time when the deeds of the world shall be made 
known before the whole world ! 

Let us go into the "Tower" proper. What a variety of 
relics are stored up here ! Here you see blocks, where many a 
one had been compelled to bow down and meet death, the axes, 
used in such executions, racks, used in torturing people and what 
not ! Here we find all kinds of garments used during the Middle 
Ages and weapons of warfare, garments used at the coronation 
of the Kings of England. Think of the history of such things 
that are gathered together here ! 

From the "Tower" we went to see the Picture Gallery. 
Here we saw paintings from the second and the third centuries. 
Among these pictures I saw one, representing a young man 
dreaming about pleasure and duty. He is in the act of choosing 
between the two, but the painting does not indicate which one. 
Perhaps pleasure ; if he did, it would not be surprising. In one 
of the rooms we saw a painting that cost $125,000 and another 
one $250,000. This painting was small and every square inch 
costs 920 dollars. This painting is supposed to be the most costly 
in the world. But there are too many things to be seen here 
and we shall have to go on. We saw the Buckingham Palace, 



[14] 



THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



Kensington Parkway, and returning we passed through the beau- 
tiful residential district of the city. We also saw the Museum 
of Natural History and the British Museum. We must not for- 
get to mention that we saw "Dickens' Curiosity Shop," an old 
and rickety building. But there is one thing more, which I 
must mention and that is the cemetery of the dogs in Hyde Park. 
Over the graves of the dogs there are monuments, and on the 
monuments there are inscriptions like the following, "To dear 
little Josie, in loving gratitude for her sweet affection, until we 
meet again, April 3, 1887, Nov. 24, 1899— Faithful unto death". 
Our guide informed us, that at such dog-funerals the dogs are 
led in procession to the grave, and in front of the procession 
the dead dog is brought to the grave in a carriage. Sometimes 
the dogs fight and there is a fearful noise among the canines. 
At one such funeral not less than ninety bull dogs partook in the 
procession. Now what shall we say of such insane foolishness 
in the midst of the enlightened British nation? But we find 
this senselessness also in America, although not on such a large 
scale. Here in America, for example, there are women who 
are not willing, under any circumstances, to become mothers, 
but whom you see in public places carrying their poodle dogs; 
and if the newspapers give us the correct information, we have 
women who are spending thousands of dollars in making birth- 
day parties for their poodle dogs and even for pigs. If Cicero 
were living at the present time, he would have occasion to cry 
out, as he did in the days of his greatness, "Shame on such an 
age and its principles!" 

It would be very interesting to relate some of the things 
which we saw in the British Museum. I was intensely delighted 
to see the Codex Alexandrinus, which dates from the middle of 
the fifth century. We must not forget to mention the Rosetta 
Stone, which was discovered in Lower Egypt in the year 1798, 



[15] 



THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



near the town of Rosetta. The inscription on the stone is a 
decree by the priests at Memphis, — according to which decree 
divine worship shall be given King Ptolemseus V Epiphanus. The 
stone dates from the year 195 B. C. In the year 1892 this stone 
was brought to the British Museum. The hieroglyphic inscription 
comes first, then the Demotic, used by the priests, and meant 
for the common people, and in the third place there is an in- 
scription in Greek. 

This stone has given us the key to the old Egyptian lan- 
guage and thus the annals of the ancient Pharaohs have become 
legible before the world. This museum is, no doubt, the richest 
in the world. Think of the relics found here ! In this museum 
there is, for instance, a larger gathering in Egyptian antiquities 
than is found in the Bulak Museum at Cairo. Any one who 
wishes to study Egyptology, should go to London. 

Another intensely interesting place is Mme. Taussaud's 
Exhibition. Here you will find wax statues of prominent men 
and women from the various countries of the world. Here you 
find kings and queens and other prominent characters, who are 
dressed in the costumes of the time in which they were living. 
Quite a few of the presidents of the United States are found 
here on exhibition. Here you will find all kinds of instruments 
of torture. Here I saw an axe that was used in the terrible 
days of the French revolution when 20,000 people were beheaded 
by it. I would advise those who are not very strong not to go 
down into the Chamber of Terror. Here is also a Napoleon 
Chamber, and there are quite a few things to be seen from the 
life of this man. Here are some of his chairs, his mattress, upon 
which he slept at Helena, and many other things, too numerous 
to mention. 

Let us also pay a visit to Westminster Abbey. It is a mag- 
nificent building and is located quite near the House of 

[16] 



THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



Parliament. The interior looked something like St. Paul's 
Cathedral. 

One afternoon, while in London, I went to see the Tabernacle 
of Rev. 0. H. Spurgeon. It was not an easy matter to be ad- 
mitted here. At last the son of the sexton took pity on me and, 
of course, I told him that I had come all the way from America 
and wished to see the noted building. It is quite a large build- 
ing and well arranged. It is not the tabernacle that Rev. 
Spurgeon used to preach in, however, as that building burnt 
down some years ago, after the death of that noted preacher. 
This present building was put up in the same form and on the 
same place. Rev. Spurgeon 's influence is felt not only in the 
church where he spent his life, but in the whole Baptist church 
and far over its boundries. 

But our time is limited and we must go on. Saturday 
morning, June 19th 3 found us on the way to the Milbury sta- 
tion from the Fenchurch station, where we had taken the train 
to the above named place. When we came to Milbury on the 
Thames, we saw our boat "Thiile" ready to lift anchor, and the 
Swedish flag at the top of the mast, waving in the air. To us 
it was a greeting from the continent, and we felt that we had 
come nearer the coast of Scandinavia. 

At 1:45 P. M. the boat set out on the Thames towards 
the North sea. While the boat was rushing onward, we sat 
down and enjoyed a very good dinner. To our surprise there 
was brandy on the table. It is needless to say, that we did not 
touch it. Any one using that should have a throat thicker than 
sole leather, and a conscience harder than a freetrader. 

Reminding ourselves of the reports of the stormy North 
sea, we had boarded "Thule" with a certain anxiety, fearing 
that we might have a stormy journey, but to our surprise this 
trip was a very agreeable journey, the sea being quite calm. 

[IT] 



THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



Sunday forenoon we had services on the steamer and a 
good many attended them. When the meeting was over, Consul 
Danielson extended thanks in behalf of the passengers for the 
privilege of attending services on the boat. The day was beau- 
tiful and it was an enjoyable hour. The afternoon was spent 
in a lively conversation about the conditions in the Old and 
New world and we had a delightful time. 

During the night we passed around the northernmost cape 
of Denmark, and saw the lighthouses on the distant shore in 
the darkness. Late in the evening we retired, knowing that 
we were in safe keeping, and the next morning we arose veiy 
early, so as to be able to see the first glimpses of the continent. 
When I came up on deck, we were already among the rocks 
in the harbor of Gothenburg ; in a few minutes we passed the 
fortress of Elfsborg, and at 7.30 A. M. we landed at the wharf 
of Gothenburg. It was now >over twenty seven years since my 
feet touched the soil of Sweden. It was with a peculiar feeling 
that we saw again the old country, the "Land of the Mid- 
night Sun." 



| 18] 



Chapter II 



HERE AND THERE IN SWEDEN, NORWAY AND 
DENMARK 

GOTHENBURG is the first Swedish city that I visited, and 
naturally I was very curious to take it all in. In the 
afternoon I went to Ljungskile on the steamer Kung Rane and 
it was an exceedingly pleasant trip. Talk about scenery ! On 
the boat I met an Associate Judge in the Gothic Court, Hon. 
Oscar Nyman of Swanesund, a very pleasant man. 

In the afternoon about five o 'clock we came to Ljungskile, 
and when I bade the judge farewell, he said, "I hope you will 
not be disappointed in your expectations of Sweden." Here 
in these sections of Sweden the scenery is very picturesque, and 
I enjoyed a pleasant rest during my visit among the good peo- 
ple here. But these light nights ! They are something so quaint 
and peculiar, when you have not seen them for a long time. 
Late in the evening I went out to listen to the stream, as it 
" rolls its silver" in the valley below. I listened to the cuckoo 
as it sang in the neighboring bower on that bright summer 
night. Late, if ever, shall I forget my trip among those cliffs 
and my stay among those good folks. 

Returning to Gothenburg, I went by boat with the rest of 
my company on a canal steamer, Motalastrom, to Stockholm. 
We started our journey the 22 of June. It was one of the 
most delightful trips during my journey abroad. We went 
up the Gota river and through the Trollhattan canal to Weners- 
borg. The waterfalls at Trollhattan are very picturesque, and 
the scenery round about is grand. 



[19] 



THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



We came to Wenersborg late at night, and sat on the deck 
until midnight. But Sweden has really no night this time of 
the year. 0, those beautiful nights! when it is neither night 
nor day — it is something betwixt and between. We passed 
the lake Wener during the night, and when we awoke the fol- 
lowing morning, the steamer was far into the country, moving 
along the canal. In the forenoon we came to Motala. It took 
some time to pass through the locks and we had plenty of time 
to walk along the side of the canal and see the sights. 

A little distance below the city of Motala, on the left bank 
of the canal, stands the monument of Balzar Von Platen, the 
builder of the canal, who, together with his wife and his son, is 
buried near the monument. 

Our journey from Gothenburg to Stockholm took two days 
and these days gave us a splendid rest. On the boat we found 
congenial company. Among others I met Prof. P. G. Lyth 
from Orebro. He is professor of Latin at Orebro College, is a 
pedagogue and author of note. 

Regarding our meeting on the steamer he wrote the follow- 
ing in Norrkopings Press : 

"Then the noon hour came. The tourists from America 
ate most heartily at the lunch table, and while at the table I 
addressed one of the Americans. I took up the question con- 
cerning the Swedes in America and discussed it from a new 
standpoint. We spoke at length and the rest of the Americans 
became interested in our conversation, even to such an extent 
that they forgot to eat their lunch. After dinner one of the 
Americans came to me — he was tall and dark — and began to 
speak something touching America. I found out that he was 
Doctor of Philosophy and Theology, and President of Gustavus 
Adolphus College, St. Peter, Minn. We sat down on the deck 
and drank coffee together, and now began a very interesting 
conversation between him and the rest of us. We were four 
Swedes. He spoke with enthusiasm of the Swedes in America, 



[20] 



THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



how they have proven themselves faithful and industrious in 
their work. They go out into the woods or on the prairies, 
and there they build themselves elegant homes, and prove to 
be law-abiding and faithful citizens in every walk of life. They 
are noted for their cleanliness, fidelity and trustworthiness. 
They are respected by the American people, and the descend- 
ants of the early Swedes on the Delaware are proud of their 
ancestry, and are very careful in keeping their lineage. 

"I happened to speak of the characteristics of the Swedish 
people, and presented the religious needs as one of the chief 
characteristics of our people. This is particularly manifested 
in the works of Bishop Esaias Tegner, Doctor Selma Lagerlof, 
and rector Schuck of Upsala has given a very powerful descrip- 
tion of this trait in his history of Swedish Literature. Then 
the doctor began to speak of this trait as manifested in the life 
of the Swedish Americans, how they are sacrificing to build 
churches and educational institutions, orphan homes, homes 
for the aged and such institutions that will help the needy and 
sick. He told of the work of the Swedish Americans, who came 
across in 1860 and 1870, how they succeeded in their endeavors 
and proved that they love the country of their adoption. He 
also said that the Swede is somewhat reticent to begin with, 
when he arrives in America, but he soon overcomes this trait 
and adopts the spirit of independence and thrift. But here in 
Sweden he had seen so much lethargy and slowness, and you 
should have seen, how he suffered on account of the slowness 
among the crew on the boat. Our boat was late, and he spoke 
in such glowing terms of the American intensity in work that 
I could feel in my very limbs how it feels when the Americans 
are at work. Space forbids us to mention all he said about the 
American schools and institutions in general. 

"By and by all the Americans gathered around us, and 
when we passed through the Malar and went by Kungshatt to 
Stockholm, we were all enthused and one of the Americans, 
seeing the beautiful scenes around the capitol city of Sweden, 
said, 'Now I understand, how it can be that the Swedes in 
America have this longing back to their own country. They 



[21] 



THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



spoke so that we all became enthusiastic and tears came in our 
eyes and for a long time I could not utter a word. ' ' 

It was in the afternoon of the midsummer day that we 
came through the Malar, which with its islands, bays, cliffs, and 
promontories presents a unique view we cannot forget. Our 
steamer is drawing near the old wharf of Stockholm. "We are in 
the capital of Sweden and not one of our company has ever been 
there before. At Ersta Deaconess Hospits we found an excel- 
lent and delightful resting place during our stay in the city. 
This institution is located by the Malar and has an ideal location. 
Here we had an excellent view of the city and a better place for 
rest and spiritual recreation could not have been procured. 

June 25th was a beautiful day. The sun rose from a cloud- 
less sky, throwing a beautiful light over the whole city of Stock- 
holm and lake of Malar. My first object was to see the Royal 
Castle on the outside ; — another day I had a chance to see the 
interior. It is located in the heart of the city, and busy streets 
are on every side. Surely this Castle cannot be a place for 
repose. But the Royal family has other places for such purposes. 

Having seen the Castle, I went to see some of the noted 
churches of Sweden, and among them I wish to mention "Stor" 
church or the Great Church, St. James church and Riddarholms 
church. At the eastern end of the "Stor" church is a statue of 
the reformer of Sweden Olaus Petri. On the pedestal of this 
statue these words are inscribed, " Olaus Petri, 1495-1552. 
Preacher of the word of God, pastor in St. Nicolai. "We Swedes 
also belong to God as well as other people, and the language we 
have God has given us." The church of Riddarholmen is not 
now used for religious services, but is set aside as a burial place 
for the Royal family of Sweden and other prominent persons. 
It was strange to walk about in this ancient sanctuary, where so 
many prominent characters sleep their last sleep. It is in a way 

[22] 



THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



a pantheon and there slumber many of the heroes of old Sweden. 

The church of Riddarholmen is quite old. It was founded 
by King Magnus Ladulas, and for a long time it belonged to the 
order of Franciscans and Bridget. The congregation that used 
this church for their meetings, was dissolved in 1807 and since 
that time this church has served as a burial place. 

June 26th, a delightful day, found us at Skansen. If you 
wish to see something characteristic of Swedish folk life, go to 
Skansen. Here you will see it. Here you will find all kinds of 
relics from the olden times. Skansen is planned something like 
an American park. Here you will find various kinds of animals, 
and this place attracts a great throng in the summer time. 

Sunday, June 27th, also came with excellent weather. It 
was the Lord's day and we went to church, of course. I at- 
tended the meeting in "Stor" church and then I went to St. 
Jacob's church. In the former the pastor delivered a written 
sermon to a small audience, and in the latter I could not get a 
place to sit; every place was occupied. The preacher delivered 
a very plain sermon ex tempore. Why this difference ? Do the 
people have no confidence in the written sermons? Perhaps 
they think, that ' ' the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. ' ' I 
have read of a prominent preacher, who used to write his ser- 
mons for some time, and yet they did not seem to give satisfac- 
tion. Then he took them and put them in the stove and he was 
satisfied that they had not given so much heat as they then gave. 
After all, it is not the very learned sermons that will bring out 
the spiritual life, but it is the plain and pure Gospel of the Lamb, 
slain before the foundation of the world for the salvation of 
sinful men. This age is in need of the gospel message. We have 
too much of the gospelless discourses in the present day pulpit. 
Tell us the story of redeeming love. That is the theme that will 
save the lost and condemned generations. 



[23] 



THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



The next morning found me in town to see the sights. I 
went out very early, but the people were out in every nook and 
corner, busy as ever. The people of Stockholm are not rushing 
things, but they are on the go all the time and whatever they are 
doing, they are doing well. The people in the old world take 
time to live. They seem to think "I am not fighting for life, 
anyhow. Whatever I cannot do today, I will do tomorrow." 
But it would be well for many a country in the Old world, if 
they would have a little more of the American ' ' get-up spirit ' ' 
in them. 

My first object for the day was to see the Northern Museum. 
Here the tourist will find much that is worth seeing. Here is 
order and system in the arrangements, and it is a pleasure to 
see it. The building cost six million crowns and is a very taste- 
ful and well planned building. Here are clothes, weapons, 
wagons, instruments and what not ? Among other things I saw 
here the little yellow horse on which Gustavus Adolphus rode 
that memorable morning, at the battle of Liitzen, November 
sixth, 1632, his bloody shirt, which he had on his body that 
eventful morning, and other relics of that great King. 

June 30th we looked over the Royal Castle very carefully, 
and surely it is a building worthy of the King. Great is the 
Castle, indeed, but I do not envy the man, who shall have to live 
there and be responsible for the government of the Kingdom. 

I had now seen quite a good deal of the ' ' Malar Queen ' ' and 
must get ready to leave. What a history this city has ! It is a 
Jong time since the Earl Birger laid the foundations, and what 
events have taken place here ! And then the location ! I do not 
blame the Swedes for feeling proud of the capital city. It is 
considered to be one of the most beautiful cities of the world. 

The first of July the train pulled out of the railroad station 
at Stockholm, carrying me to the northern part of Sweden. At 



[24] 



THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



9 A. m. I came to Upsala. I could not pass by this renowned 
educational center, so I stopped off to see it. although I had only 
one day to do it in. Passing over Fyris river. I went to the Dome 
church, an attractive building. In this sanctuary rest many of 
the early Royal families of Sweden and other noted historical 
characters. Among the last ones to find a resting place within 
these walls is the renowned Emanuel Swedenborg, who was 
brought home from England not long ago to rest in the land of 
his fathers. To the right of the front door you will find the 
sarcophagus of this remarkable man. Here is another of those 
pantheons that we find among the nations, and heroes and hero- 
ines rest in peaceful slumbers within these hallowed walls. It is 
an old building, begun at the end of the 13th century and was 
ready for dedication in 1435. 

From the Dome Church I went to the University. As I 
drew near the building, I saw the statue of Prof. Erik Gustaf 
Geijer. It stands in front of the University. This man hailed 
from the backwoods of Vermland. but became one of the most 
prominent men of his country. He was historian, philosopher, 
poet, and professor. As we enter the University building, we 
see these words, written on the wall, k, The free mind is great, 
but the right mind is greater." These are the words of the 
renowned Thomas Thorild. The University Chapel is very at- 
tractive, but the seats appeared to me to be very plain, almost 
too plain for such a building. 

Next I went to the Library, " Carolina Rediviva,'' where the 
librarian showed me a whole lot of manuscripts of prominent 
authors in Sweden. Here we can see quite a few codices, and 
among them Codex Argenteus, or the translation of the Bishop 
AVulfhVs Bible from the latter part of the fourth century. I 
stopped a long time to see the quaint old documents. 



[25] 



THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



As I came down to the city again, I saw the spring of King 
Erik the Holy and drank from it. It is said, that when this 
King's blood was shed, there sprang up a fountain, which is 
flowing yet. Be that as it may, one thing is certain, and that 
is, that when King Immanuel's side was pierced on Cavalry, 
there sprang up a fountain, which has given living water to the 
salvation of souls of mankind. Near by the fountain of Erik I 
saw the old foundation of the first University building, which 
was erected in the time of King Sten Sture the Elder, who ruled 
from 1470-1497. It was during his reign that Jacob Ulfsson 
founded the Upsala University in 1477. This man has been 
honored by being given a resting place behind the altar of the 
Cathedral, which is near by this fountain and the ancient ruins. 

In the afternoon I went to Old Upsala by train. Here are 
not very many sights, if we except the old church and the hills 
of Odin, Thor and Frey. From any one of these heights there 
is a charming view in all directions. To the northwest we see 
the plain of Fyris. It was on this plain that Erik Segersall and 
his nephew Styrbjorn Starke fought a two days' battle. On the 
third day Styrbjorn Starke and the greater part of his army 
fell. The old vikings could not have chosen a better battlefield 
than this plain. 

To the southeast lie the Mora Stones, where the heathen 
forefathers of the Swedes gathered for court. Here they estab- 
lished laws and executed them, and important matters, pertain- 
ing to the welfare of the country, were determined upon. The 
reader will remember that the heathen forefathers had established 
laws in the various sections of the country. The East Goths, 
the west Goths and the various sections of Sweden had their laws, 
which have been to a great extent preserved, and these laws are 
remarkable not only because of the language, but also on account 
,of their contents. 



[26] 



THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



To the southwest is a hill, on which a monument to the 
honor of Sten Sture has been erected. A more suitable place 
for a monument could hardly have been chosen. It pays to 
climb these hills and see this excellent view. When were these 
three hills made ? They are not natural ; they were made in the 
heathen times and it would be interesting, indeed, to know the 
history of these heathen monuments. So far we only know the 
names of them and realize that they were built in honor of Odin, 
Thor and Frey, three gods of Scandinavian mythology. 

Going down the hill we saw the old church, which dates 
back from the heathen times. 

Having seen the Old Upsala, I returned by train to Upsala 
and prepared for the journey northward in the evening. I found 
time to visit the Fjellstedt College, and here I met the President 
of the institution, Rev. Johannes Kjerfstedt, a splendid man, 
who has served in the capacity of Rector for the last forty years. 

With the fast train I then went to Lapland. This is one of 
the most interesting journeys that can be made. The beautiful 
climate, the bright summer night, the romantic valleys and the 
picturesque mountains — all this made it appear as though I 
had come into a new world. The part of Sweden, which we are 
passing through during the night, reminds us very much of the 
State of Washington, or perhaps we might say, that the State 
of Washington reminds us of the northern part of Sweden. But 
the soil in this part seems to be very poor, and it was a question 
in my mind, how the people could secure their living in these 
sections of the land. 

In the morning we came to Kiruna. Not far from here, to 
the north, is the noted tourist station Abisco. The scenery here 
is certainly very grand, and some Germans, who stood by the 
car windows, said: " Wunderschon, Wunderschon!" 



[27] 



THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



As we come to Abisco, we see quite a plain, covered with 
trees, and near by is the mountain lake Torneatrask. And such 
a spectacle. Yonder in the distance are snow capped mountains, 
mirrored in the crystal clear lake of Torneatrask. It would, 
indeed, be worth while to stop at this station and view the won- 
derful sights, but we must go on northward 

We are now in the mountain region of northern Sweden and 
snow covered mountain peaks are seen all around us. As we 
are winding our way up toward Riksgransen, the boundary lines 
between Sweden and Norway, there are herds of reindeer moving 
along the railroad track. In the summer they go up to the 
mountains, but in the winter they go southward to milder 
climates. The .soil here is very meager and the food for the 
reindeer is necessarily scant. 

As we journey northward, the trees are becoming shorter 
and shorter and very soon they vanish entirely. The only tree 
that we see is the dwarf birch, but at Riksgransen even this dis- 
appears and the ground is naked or covered with snow. The cold 
is intense in these high regions and as we come to the station, 
Riksgransen, the wind is howling through the station and it 
feels as though it were real winter. The mountains are covered 
with snow, which reaches far down the valleys and plains at the 
foot of the mountains. 

From here we go down on the western side of Kjolen, and as 
we descend, the climate becomes milder and milder. Our train 
is winding down to Romviken, a bay of the Atlantic. As we 
descend we see many laps in their huts, but they are shy and 
evade our cameras very cleverly. At noon our train arrives at 
the station at Narvik, the northernmost railroad station in the 
world. The city of Narvik, which has a very picturesque loca- 
tion here by the bay, is surrounded by snow-covered mountain 

[28] 



THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



peaks, but the climate here is very much milder than it is on 
the "Swedish side of the mountain. 

In the afternoon I climbed one of the peaks near the city, 
and it was a real pleasure to see the vicinity of this unique town 
in these northern regions. At the docks the steamers are re- 
ceiving ore from the Kiruna mines and this splendid ore is sent 
to various parts of the Old world, and some of it is shipped to 
the New. 

In the evening I returned to Kiruna and went up to see the 
midnight sun on the top of Loussavara, It took us about half 
an hour to get to the top of this iron mountain, but it certainly 
pays to get the grand view from the top of it. At first there was 
a cloud before the sun and we could not see it clearly. In about 
half an hour the cloud passed away and there is the sight, which 
I have longed to see — the midnight sun, — and what a sight ! It 
was the most peculiar spectacle I have ever seen. It was neither 
night nor day; it was something betwixt and between as the 
Bishop Esaias Tegner so beautifully has expressed it in Frith- 
iof's Saga. 

We remained on the top of Loussavara until early in the 
morning, and as it was somewhat cold up there, we made a fire 
and enjoyed ourselves the best we knew how in those scenic 
regions. We could, of course, not think of any sleep or rest 
that night. 

The following day was Sunday. Returning to the city of 
Kiruna, I could not think of any sleep, so I determined to walk 
around in the city and see the town. 

I was somewhat surprised, when at church, to find so few 
men attend the Lord's supper. The guests at the Lord's table 
were mostly women and children, who were just then confirmed. 
Where were the men? Some men pride themselves in not at- 
tending the antiquated institution — the Christian church. The 



[29] 



THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



lodge is all the church they want, and these men are perfectly 
willing to leave matters pertaining to church worship and the 
education of their children to the women. These are men who 
often say, "The services at the churches are only attended by 
women and children. ' ' I wish to retort to this. There is another 
institution where the men are more numerous than the women 
and that institution is the penitentiary. Is this the case, because 
the women stay by the church, and receive its uplifting and 
moulding influence? 

It would do the fathers good to attend such a splendid 
service as was held at Kiruma, that Sunday morning. But where 
were the men ? Perhaps at home, and fast asleep or reading the 
newspaper ? Or perhaps at the saloon ? Glorious will be the day, 
when these hell-holes on earth will be forever swept from the face 
of this benighted globe. But there is reason to believe, that when 
the saloon has gone, the ingenious satan will invent something 
else to degrade and enslave the poor souls of men. 

I left Kiruna in the evening and stopped at Ljusdahl, where 
I found a quiet resting place at the home of the Reverend B. G. 
Johnzon. Here I felt at home in his godfearing family, and 
enjoyed myself very much in this idyllic place. A better place 
for recreation could not be found. 

As Rev. Johnzon and I were walking along the Ljusnan 
river we were discussing the conditions in Sweden and especially 
in the state church. This church has many opponents in Sweden 
and they are doing everything they can to hasten its fall. In the 
higher institutions of learning, especially the universities, there 
is a strong tendency towards the higher criticism. In the parlia- 
ment there are many who are doing all they can to defend the 
universities and the higher schools, but they have no use for the 
church and its needs. Rev. Johnzon is a man of great erudition 
and conversant with the true condition of the church of Sweden. 

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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



He has a large parish. There are over 10,000 souls in his 
congregation and he complained that he could not tend to it 
the way he would like. He has a great help in his faithful wife 
and they are striving to upbuild the walls of Zion in their section 
of the land. 

Having received necessary rest at Ljusdahl, I continued 
my journey in the company of Rev. Johnzon, who went down to 
Bollnas. From this place I continued to Sandviken, where I 
wished to meet Rev. Johan Fryklund, the pastor, who confirmed 
me, He lived with his family at Hogbo, a very beautiful location 
between two lakes. Here I rested and truly could not find a 
better place for recreation. From Sandviken I went to Ratvik 
and Mora in Dalcarlia. In Falund the celebrated Doctor Selma 
Lagerlof takes up her abode in the wintertime, but in summer she 
lives in her childhood home, Marbacka in Warmland. At Ratvik 
and Mora nature has lavished its great treasures. Siljan is a 
very beautiful lake, and it is not easy to find anything like it. 

July 8th I came to Mora and I must, of course, see the 
historic places here. I went to Utmeland, where the Vasa Cellar 
is located. The reader will recollect that troublesome times had 
come to Sweden, when one of its noblest sons, Gustaf Vasa, sought 
refuge in this part of the land and hid himself here an there 
in Dalecarlia. At one time he sought refuge in this Cellar. 
Danish spies were searching all over for him and a price was 
fixed on his head. The Danes came over the bay of Siljan, the 
woman of the house put him in the cellar, and placed a tub over 
the opening and so Gustaf escaped this time. By the help of 
the faithful sons of Dalecarlia he drove the Danes out of the 
country and became the ruler of the land. He was the king of 
Sweden from 1523-1560, when he died. 

The church of Mora is quite old. The tower was built by 
king Charles XI to the glory of God, in the year 1663. 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



From Mora I wended my way to my birthplace and passed 
through southern Dalecarlia and its great forests. The country 
reminded me of the "wild and woolly" west, there being very 
few dwelling places along the railroad. We passed through large 
forests and came at last to the boundary lines of Warmland. Here 
nature is quite different and you will notice a marked change in 
the character of the people. Soon we arrive at Kil, passing by 
Philipstad, in the vicinity of which, the last resting place of Mr. 
John Ericsson is found. In these parts of the world he saw 
the light of the day for the first time, and at a more mature age 
went to England, and from thence to America. The reader will 
call to mind the services he rendered his land of adoption dur- 
ing his sojourn there. One of the greatest is the invention of 
the Monitor type of battleships, and all know what his Monitor 
did that memorable day at Hampton Roads in 1862. It was a 
great day, when the remains of Captain Ericsson were sent home 
to his mother country. 

In the afternoon we arrived at Kil and here I was com- 
pelled to remain till the next day, because there was no train in 
the afternoon. Early in the morning there was a train for 
Fryksta, which is located at the southern end of the lake Fryken. 
At the wharf is the steamer "Gosta Berling," ready to start its 
journey over the lakes, Upper and Lower Fryken. The reader 
will remember that the celebrated authoress, Dr. Selma Lager- 
lof, published a book under the title "Gosta Berling," and that 
is why the boat has been given that name. We are in the home 
province of this noted lady. This valley, the valley of Fryken 
lakes, is one of the most noted and picturesque sections of 
Sweden, and one that the tourists like to visit. This part of 
Warmland has become noted also by the celebrated work of 
Selma Lagerlof, "Gosta Berling 's Saga," in which she among 
other things describes the country and the folk-life in the middle 



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of the past century. She has given other names to the various 
places that she describes. 

To the east of the Lower Fryken lies the parish Eastern 
Emtervik, and on the opposite side is the Western Emtervik, 
where are the beautiful plains which she has so graphically de- 
scribed. The authoress lives in Eastern Emtervik at a place 
called Marbacka. We shall visit this place on our way back. 
At Sunne, which is between the two lakes, the renowned Swedish 
historian Anders Fryksell used to live. His statue stands on a 
pedestal on the eastern bank of the canal between the lakes. 
Prof. Frykell was not only an historian, but also a poet. He 
wrote among other poems the song to Warmland, which is sung 
all over the world, where Swedish people are living. 

July 13th I continued my journey to Hvitsand, my home 
parish. The road winds along the shores of lakes, banks of rivers 
and fruitful fields. At noon we arrived at the parsonage in 
Hvitsand, where I met the Rev. Anders Norstedt, the pastor of 
this parish. In his hospitable home I found needed rest, and 
two Sundays in succession preached in the church of Hvitsand 
to great gatherings, reminding myself of the past days, when I 
as a boy used to attend this church. Here I was confirmed in the 
month of November 1880, and then I promised to be faithful to 
my Lord and Savior. The good Lord knows all my short-com- 
ings in life since then. Having been absent twenty-seven years 
from my early home, I was there again and could now look back 
upon the past years. 

Many and varied had been my experiences in the past since 
that time and I had every reason to be thankful to my God for 
his loving kindness to me in every way. A good many things 
had changed. The majority of the old folks had gone to the 
Great Beyond, and the young people had grown up to manhood 
and womanhood. The only thing that looked quite the same was 



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the country. The old pathways were there, those that I trod 
while I was a young boy. How could I forget the murmuring 
brook, the flower covered meadow, where I used to run around 
as a shepherd boy, the primeval forest, the delightful bower, 
where the birds used to sing their melodious songs in the early 
morning, the cuckoo and the swallow singing in sweet harmony. 
Here in Warmland you see along the road the quaint old dwell- 
ing places, where the old folks used to live, and where you could 
see them in the early Sunday morning with the hymn-book and 
the white handkerchief in hand, in great throngs, go to the 
church. Many things are so very much like the old time cus- 
toms, but in a quarter of a century quite a few things have 
changed, to be sure. 

Sweden has not been left behind in the great strides that 
have been made by the various nations and it was a pleasure to 
me to observe how things have been moving onward. Quite a 
few things have changed for the better in matters pertaining 
to the church, and I noted this with great pleasure. There are 
some who have affiliated themselves with the Free Church move- 
ment, but the majority of the people still hold fast to the State 
church. 

But I observed another thing in temporal matters, which 
did not please me in the least. In the former days the farmer 
sought to clear his farm and thus prepare it for crops, but now 
they let the trees grow and right in my former home vicinity I 
observed many farms overgrown with trees. The consequence 
has been that the people have been compelled to seek homes for 
themselves elsewhere and have done so. The people who used to 
live here in these parts of Sweden are now located, by the thou- 
sands, in the various states of the great country beyond the 
Atlantic. 



[34] 



THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



In the state of Minnesota and adjoining states you will find 
thein ; and any one familiar with their condition will readily 
acknowledge that they have prospered. Very often the poor 
man is criticised because he leaves his native country, emigrates 
to foreign lands, there to contend with so many things that con- 
front him. But before such a complaint is lodged against the 
poor emigrant, it would be well to investigate with a view of 
finding out his real condition and the causes that lead to his 
departure from his native country. 

We know that conditions are quite different in other parts 
of Sweden, and have only tried to depict the actual situation in 
that part of AVarmland, where I was brought up. As long as 
land companies are permitted to sow pine and spruce seed on the 
farms and raise timber, in this way making it almost impossible 
to earn a living, we should not be surprised that the poor man is 
seeking refuge in other countries, where he will find better op- 
portunities for himself and his children. 

Having spent about two weeks in these sections, wandering 
in the woods, over the hills and in the valleys and by the lake 
Mangen, where I spent many a day as a boy, it became necessary 
for me to depart. I determined to see Norway and as time is 
very limited, I must hasten on. Farewell, ye meadows and 
brooks, bowers and lanes, the scenes of my early days ! Perhaps 
I shall never see these scenes any more. Then farewell ! 

I returned southward to call on the celebrated authoress, Dr. 
Selma Lagerlof. My steamer landed at Eastern Emtervik and 
from there it is a few miles to her home Marbacka. It was a 
beautiful afternoon and I determined to walk these few miles 
and it certainly proved to be a very enjoyable stroll. As I came 
to her residence, I found her sitting on the porch, conversing with 
another lady, Sophia Elkan. Although she is very busy, she 
spent some time with me on the porch, talking about the condi- 

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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



tions in the New World. When she found out that I was a 
Swedish American, she became very interested and spoke of the 
Swedes in America and wondered, if a goodly number would 
not return to Sweden again. I told her that I did not think so, 
explaining the reasons why. We spoke of the educational institu- 
tions that Swedes have built and the other work in general that 
they have done in the United States. They feel at home in 
America and are there to stay. It is their country. 

When she found out that I was on my way to the Orient, 
she told me of her trip to J erusalem a few years ago and of her 
visit to the Swedish Americans of that city. She advised me to 
stay with them, if an opportunity would be given, saying that 
she stopped at the Grand Hotel, but it was very expensive to 
stop there. When I bade her farewell, she told me to greet the 
countrymen in America. I promised to do so and took occasion 
to invite her to visit the New World. I assured her that I 
would be very pleased, if I could assure our people in America 
that she would visit them, but then she answered: "No, do not 
do it. I am so very busy and not quite well." 

The place where she lives, Marbacka, is her old home, and 
to be sure, it is a very beautiful country. No wonder that her 
Pegasus takes to flight in these regions. Dr. Selma Lagerlof 
is a very interesting personality. I was told by a professor on 
the Gota canal that she is rather quiet and less disposed to 
converse, but this was not the impression she left with me. She 
seemed quite talkative and social. She leaves the impression 
that you are speaking with a powerful personality, with no 
one less than the authoress of "Gosta Berlings Saga" and 
"Jerusalem." She is a woman of medium height and some- 
what obese. Her face is full, the forehead quite high, the 
hair somewhat gray and the eyes bear witness of an active and 



[36] 



THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



powerful soul. No wonder that this woman has received the 
Nobel prize. She has certainly merited it. 

But we must leave these idyllic scenes along the Fryken 
lakes and proceed to Carlstad. I arrived there in the evening 
and had time to view the town. Carlstad is certainly a very 
beautiful city on the shore of lake Waner, and on the Tingwalla 
island. It was founded by Charles IX, 1584, while he was 
prince and in 1865 it was destroyed by fire. 

The following day I arose early in the morning and boarded 
a train that would bring me to Christiania. When we came to 
the Norwegian boundary, an officer came through the train 
and inquired where we came from. He wished to know par- 
ticularly, if we came from Russia, and, no doubt, for the reason 
that cholera was raging quite severely in Russia at that time. 
At Kongsvinger we stopped for some time for breakfast. I then 
recollected that on an early April morning, at this very sta- 
tion, in 1882, two young boys, accompanied by their father, 
came hither over the Swedish and Norwegian mountains to 
continue their journey to America. One of these boys was the 
author of these lines and the other passed into Eternity many 
years ago. Having put his boys on the train, the father re- 
turned home again, but to take the same road only two years 
afterwards. As I sat at the station, I wondered, why I should 
be left to see these places once more, while my brother was 
taken away in his youthful days. As I was pondering this 
question, my train started off for Christiania. We followed 
the beautiful river valley of Glommen. Surely the Norwegians 
have reason to feel proud of it. At half past ten in the morning 
we were at the station in the capital city of Norway. 

After dinner I went out to see the city and first I went to 
the University. Near by the main building, I found in a little 
house, the old viking ship, called the Gokstad ship, from the 



[37] 



THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



place where it was found in 1881. It is made of oak planks and 
fastened together with iron bolts. On examining the ship, 
you can easily see that the old vikings used plane, saw and 
chisel in building it. It is at least nine hundred years old, 
and looks old in every way. Beside this ship were found the 
bones of twelve horses, six dogs, and one peacock, as well as 
parts of five beds. Within the ship was found the skeleton of 
a man, without doubt the skeleton of the viking chief, who was 
buried with his ship. 

In the evening I boarded the train for Trondhjem. This 
trip proved to be one of the most delightful that I had made so 
far and I enjoyed it immensely. The railroad winds its way 
along the very picturesque Lake Mjosen. July thirtieth we 
came to Trondhjem. 

The city is rather quaint and old looking. The houses are 
low, and the red tiles on the roofs give the city a unique ap- 
pearance. Here is the old Nidaros, whose history goes far 
back to the heathen age. The greatest sight in the Trondhjem 
is the Dome church. This temple is, without doubt, the most 
beautiful sanctuary in the Scandinavian North. It is also the 
largest. It is 325 feet long, 180 feet wide and has a very high 
tower, which rises from the middle of the church. The edifice 
is very old and was founded between 1066 and 1093 by King 
Olaf. It has burnt down five times, and three times the light- 
ning has set fire to it. In 1531, the whole city of Trondhjem 
with the church was burnt. One end of the church or the 
church proper has stood since that time without a roof. The 
style is Gothic and is rather odd. 

In the afternoon I visited the museums and the fort, which 
is located a little distance to the north of the city. It is situ- 
ated on a high hill. From this hill you have an excellent view 
of the whole city. 



[38] 



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In the evening I returned to Christiania, as I felt that I 
had had a chance to see all there was to be seen in this city. On 
the morning of the next day I continued my journey to Sweden. 
Late in the evening the same day I passed Fredrickshall and 
saw to the right of the railroad the fortress, or rather the old 
gloomy walls of the ancient fortress, from the time of Charles 
the XII of Sweden. To the left there is a somewhat low or 
level place. On this plain stood the Swedish army with its 
brave leader, Charles, the 12th of November, 1718. For nine 
long years Charles had seen success in this campaign, but then 
came nine years of reverses, distress and losses. Down on this 
plain, in the trenches, came a bullet that ended the life of 
Charles and laid him in the grave. Sweden stood at that time 
on the brink of destruction and ruin, but the mighty hand of 
God saved it for better and happier days. 

The following day was Sunday, and quite early in the 
morning I came to Lidkoping. Having attended the church 
in the forenoon, I went in the afternoon to Winninga to meet 
a certain pastor who used to be my school mate in the seminary. 
In his quiet home I recuperated. I had journeyed for some 
time and felt it necessary to have a few days' rest. 

Having secured needed rest, I continued my journey to 
Falkoping, Jonkoping, Nasjo and Hastveda. Here I was com- 
pelled to stay over night, because there was no train to bring 
me onward. The next day, a beautiful day, I proceeded to 
Skane and stopped at Degeberga for a few days. Skane is the 
granary of Sweden, and this province is not only rich in many 
ways, but it is also a very beautiful country. 

On my journey to Malmo I stopped, of course, at Lund, the 
University town of Southern Sweden. There are many places 
of interest in this city for the tourists. Here I saw Lundagard, 
Tegners Place, the Cathedral and the University. In the old 



[39] 



THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



Tegner 's Place I lingered for a long time. Here I found a num- 
ber of manuscripts and articles used by the professor and 
poet, Esaias Tegner. There are also other things that used to 
belong to Tegner, while he was Bishop, such as books, rings, 
watches, spectacles, looking glasses and the like. There is only 
one room left of the old Tegner House. The Tegner Associa- 
tion has paid the sum of three thousand crowns for this, so as 
to be able to keep the old relics of the noted man. 

Onward, ever onward, was my watchword and my next 
place was Malmo. Here I found my fellow tourists and here 
we spent some time to compare notes of our various experiences 
in Sweden. "We spent some days in rest and recreation, before 
we left the old Svea to proceed to other countries in Europe. 

In comparing notes we found that all were pleased with 
the beautiful climate, the delightful summer nights and the 
visits in the homes of the fathers. But in regard to the church 
they were not all equally pleased. There were differences of 
opinion along this line and all seemed to agree that the best 
land under the sun, is the country of our adoption, the United 
States of America. They had had a chance to see things from 
a different angle and make comparisons and the general verdict 
was this: "No country like our own beloved America." 

In Malmo everything was at a standstill because of the 
great strike. Some of the people complained very much of the 
conditions brought about by the railroad strike. Others, on 
the other hand, rejoiced and were sure of victory for the 
strikers. As for us, it made no difference, since the strike did 
not hinder us in the least. There are a good many things that 
we might relate, now that we are on the point of leaving 
Sweden, but it is, perhaps, better to leave these things unsaid. 
This I must say, though, that there was a great lack of patri- 
otism among many of the people of Sweden. It is certainly 



[40] 



THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



not as it ought to be, when the people do not stand up solidly 
for their country. To my surprise I had not found that whole- 
hearted patriotism that I had expected. How often do we 
hear voices like these : "Down with the throne, down with the 
altar!" It is certainly not well, when such voices are heard. 
But l.et it be sufficient to mention just this point ! And it is 
a sad one, indeed. 

We are now on the way to Copenhagen, Denmark. As we 
passed over the Oresund between Sweden and Denmark and 
saw Sweden sink beneath the wave, we thought of the history 
of that country and of what it has done in the world. Quite 
a few great men and women have gone forth from this com- 
paratively little country and accomplished something in the 
world. I am thinking of the great kings and statesmen, of the 
poets and authors, of the men of science, that have first seen 
the light in Sweden. No Swede needs to feel ashamed of the his- 
tory of Sweden. Let us remind ourselves of what that little coun- 
try has done to secure liberty of conscience to the world. The 
great king Gustavus Adolphus' accomplishments in the thirty 
years' war is too well known to need any further mention in 
this connection. 

But at this time we are thinking of the relation of old 
Sweden to our country, America. We are pleased to state that 
this relation has been most cordial. Let us remind ourselves 
that Sweden was the first country in the world to acknowledge 
the independence of the United States, the Thirteen Colonies, 
and show them friendship and help in their struggle for 
liberty long before they were recognized by Great Britain. 
Benjamin Franklin wrote once upon a time that "it was a 
pleasure to him to think, and he hoped that it would be re- 
membered, that Sweden was the first power in Europe which 



[41] 



THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



had voluntarily offered its friendship to the United States 
without being solicited." 

John Hanson, of Swedish lineage, was the first President 
of the Continental Congress and in this capacity he was really 
the "first President of the United States." "Of all national- 
ities and peoples who have immigrated to the United States, 
no nation or people has furnished in a single person a man who 
has done so great and important service for the people and 
Government of the United States as John Ericsson, the native 
backwoodsman of Sweden." 

In this connection we might remind ourselves of the verdict 
of history, "To no nation or people on earth has it been given 
to render such great service to humanity as that rendered by 
the Swedish nation and people by fighting through the Thirty 
Years' War to success and thereby acquiring and establishing 
civil and religious liberty for mankind." When the Peace of 
Westphalia was signed 1648, there is an article that has made 
this document very famous. It is really the corner stone of 
modern civilization and it is only found in the Swedish treaty. 
The fourth article of this treaty stipulates, that the peace 
treaty of Augsburg of 1655, which established liberty of wor- 
ship for the Lutherans, shall be left inviolate and confirmed, 
and its provisions and benefits shall be extended to the Re- 
formed Church (The Calvinists). It is worth while to take 
notice of these things. We must not in this connection forget 
that the Swedes established a colony on the banks of the Dela- 
ware in 1638, and the historian of our beloved America has 
told us that "their coming has been for the good of the 
country. ' ' 

These and many other historical facts came to our mind as 
we saw Sweden sink beneath the waves. May the cordial re- 
lation that has existed between these countries during the past 



[42] 



THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



centuries, ever continue and may they be cemented together in 
friendship and bonds of peace ! 

It did not take us long before we came to Copenhagen and 
were walking on Danish soil. This time I stopped very briefly 
in the Capital of Denmark and went out to Borup to see some 
friends. Here I had occasion to see the country life in Den- 
mark, and I was very much pleased with it. It reminded me 
very much, of England. Every square mile was so well taken 
care of and everything kept so well. The country reminds us 
also of Southern Sweden. It is level and the soil is rich. In 
this country I observed quite a few things that seemed rather 
strange to me. We went out in the parks on Sunday and I 
found to my great surprise, that the women were knitting and 
crocheting, sewing or doing some fancy work. They seem to 
think this is no work, and so they go at it very lively even on 
the Lord's day. The Danes must put a very strange construc- 
tion on the Lord's commandment, "Remember the Sabbath day 
to keep it holy." If we think of the word Sabbath, which by 
the way is of Chaldean origin, we find that Sa means heart, 
and bath means rest or rest for the heart. If we entertain this 
idea of Sabbath, we will find it difficult to do what the Danes 
and other people in Europe are doing on the Lord's day. But 
let this suffice. 

Not far from Copenhagen is the quaint old city of Roskilde. 
The sanctuary there was intensely interesting to me, and I went 
through it very carefully, observing what there was to be seen. 
This church holds the same place in Denmark as the church 
of Riddarholmen holds in Sweden. In the Dome Church of 
Roskilde most of the Danish Kings are buried. Here is a choir 
to the memory of Saint Bridget. In this city a treaty of peace 
was signed between Sweden and Denmark in 1658. By the 
treaty of Roskilde Sweden received Skane, Halland, Blekinge, 

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Buhuslan with the province of Trondhjem and the island of 
Bormholm. What changes have been made regarding the 
provinces in these countries, and how these peoples have fought 
each other! 

Returning to the Capital, I again met my fellow tourists. 
We went out to see sights in this interesting city. This city is 
built on a larger scale than any other in the Scandinavian 
countries. We saw the Zoological gardens, the Tivoli and many 
other places of interest. The next morning we went to see 
the Frue Church. But why go there? Well, my dear reader, 
we wanted to see Thorwaldsen's statue of Christ and his 
apostles. And we saw them. In this church is also a baptismal 
fount which is held by an angel — everything, of course cut 
out with a master's hand. 

I feel that I am not able to describe in a proper way the 
statue of Christ by Thorwaldsen. You must see it to get an 
idea of its beauty. Above the statue these words are written, 
"This is my beloved Son, hear ye him!" Below these words are 
written, ' ' Come unto me, ye all ! " Only a master 's hand has been 
able to bring such an image out of the cold marble. Everything 
in this statue seems to say, ' ' Come unto me ! ' ' The more you 
look at it, the better you like it. 

We are here reminded of the answer that a certain girl 
gave to the sculptor Dannecker. When the statue was about 
ready, the sculptor asked the girl, who happened to come to 
see him at work, whom the statue represented. The girl 
answered that it represented a great man. The sculptor was 
not satisfied with this answer and determined to continue his 
work. After another six years' steady work on the statue, the 
same girl came to the sculptor to pay a visit, and he asked her 
the same question. Then the girl looked at the statue, and 
looked again and as she stood there looking, the tears came 



[44] 



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into her eyes and she said, "It is He who said: 'Suffer little 
children to come unto me and forbid them not, for of such is 
the kingdom of heaven.' " The sculptor was satisfied with this 
answer, for he then knew that he had brought forth the 
proper statue. 

From Copenhagen we went to Gjedser. Here we took the 
ferry for Warnamiinde, Germany. The distance is about 
twenty-five miles and it takes about two hours. It was com- 
paratively easy to pass through the custom house. On the 
ferry I met a Danish professor who was on a vacation, and as 
.we were bound for the same places, we went together. 



[45] 



Chapter III 



IN GERMANY— THE LUTHERPLACES 




S we left the ferry at Warnamiinde, the train was ready 
to take us to Berlin. 



In the city of Berlin you need not go very far, before you 
will see that the Germans are soldiers. Everywhere you meet 
with soldiers and barracks. A monument like the one on the 
Siegesalle is enough to convince the tourist that Germany believes 
in an army and in militarism. As we were parading the streets 
of Berlin we saw, of course, some of the dark sides of this metrop- 
olis. I sincerely pity the young boy and girl who come to such 
a place, where snares of all kinds are placed before their feet. In 
no other city of Europe did I see what I saw on the streets of 
Berlin. Poor youths, who enter here, where satan has caught 
so many in his deceptive traps! It makes one's heart bleed, 
to see how the young people, ignorant of the well-laid snares, 
are caught and led in as sheep for slaughter into the dens of 
vice and destruction. 

But there are not only many things that remind you of 
sin and vice, of the fallen nature of man ; here you will also find 
many things that remind you of the bright side of human life. 
Powerful agencies are also at work for the uplifting and the 
ennobling of the race. No matter where you go in Germany, you 
are in one way or another reminded of its greatest son, that great 
personality, who in the sixteenth century so powerfully aroused 
the people of Germany and other countries from their spiritual 
sleep. We refer to Doctor Martin Luther, that miner's son of 

[46] 



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Eisleben. Late one evening I visited the Luther monument, or 
as the Germans call it, the Luther Denkmal. When I got there 
at that late hour I found one of our tourist company, the Rev. 
P. Peterson, studying the great monument, located on New Mar- 
ket street. When you approach it from this street, you notice 
first of all Ulrich von Hut ten and Frans von Sickingen, who 
are sitting with swords in their hands. The reader is, perhaps, 
familiar with the fact that these men were ready to draw the 
sword in the defense of the evangelical truth. At the center of 
the monument, seated somewhat higher than the rest, you see the 
reformer, and at his feet Philip Melanchthon, Georg Spalatin, 
Johan Reuchlin, Justus Jonas, Kaspar Krucieger and Johann 
Bugenhagen. All these men helped, in their way, to carry on 
the work of reformation in Germany. There we two stood in 
the dusk of the evening, looking at this great monument of the 
men who fought so valiantly for the religious liberty of man- 
kind. 

But we cannot stay so very long even at this interesting 
place. The other places call us onward and we must go. August 
14th we are on the way to Wittenberg. About 28 miles before 
we come to Wittenberg we pass Jiitterbock. Our limited time did 
not permit us to stop and visit the place, but as we passed by, 
we thought of the Dominican monk, John Tezel, who came even 
to this place to sell indulgences. The reader knows, perhaps, 
why the monks were sent out on this nefarious business. The 
pomp-loving pope, Leo X, sat at that time on the pontifical chair. 
He wished to secure money, partly to be able to carry on war 
against the Turks, who at that time threatened to press onward 
into Europe, and partly that he might be able to complete the 
St. Peter's church at Rome, and so he ordered the sale of in- 
dulgences. The pope rented this sale of indulgences to the 
Elector of Mainz, Albrecht. This man then engaged, as gen- 



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eral agents, certain commissaries, who should carry on this work. 
One of these venders of indulgences was John Tezel. He came 
to Jutterbock in the year 1517 and offered his goods for sale as 
a regular merchant, and there was a great sale for it. 

The selling of indulgences was very common at that time, 
and it was no wonder that a man like Luther, who had found 
the new light, should come in conflict with a man like Tezel. 
His box of indulgences, that he used as he was traveling through 
Germany, is found in a church at Jutterbock. It would have 
been very interesting to stop and see this historic relic, but time 
did not permit, so we hastened on to Wittenburg, at which place 
we arrived in the forenoon. 

We are then in the historic city of Wittenburg, where the 
work of reformation began. We need not go into detail and 
describe this significant work. The world knows it, or ought to 
know it, by heart. Going into the city from the station, we find 
in the neighborhood of the place where the old Elster gate used 
to be, to the right of the road, an oak, and around this oak there 
is a fence of iron. On this oak there is a tablet and on this the 
following words are written: "Here Martin Luther burnt the 
papal bull, December 10th, 1520. ' ' In the presence of professors 
and students of the university Luther burnt the bull, which 
contained forty-one points in the teachings of Luther. Then 
the pope sent another bull, which placed Luther and his ad- 
herents under the ban of the church. 

Entering the city, we find to the left of the street the 
Augustinian Convent. This is located in the eastern part of 
the city. We went in, of course, to see the cloister, and came 
first into an open place, or court; and as you enter, straight 
ahead, on the other side of the court, is the "Luther Stube." 
On the wall is a picture of the reformer and underneath it the 
following words are written: "Here lived Dr. Martin Luther 



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from 1508 to 1546." We rang the bell and, accompanied by the 
guide, went up into the second story, where we found the rooms 
in which Luther and his dear Kathe used to live. 

In one of the rooms was the pulpit in which Luther used to 
preach, and in another, many of his books, manuscripts, rings, 
looking-glasses and other interesting objects. In a large room, 
used as a lecture hall, is the railing of the platform in the uni- 
versity, where the professors used to lecture. Passing through 
the historic rooms, we thought of the man who lived here and 
labored to be such a blessing for mankind. Think of the battles 
that this man fought in these rooms ! Think of the joy that he 
had as he discovered the truth of the living God ! 

It is very strange that anything that is good and of real 
service to mankind cannot be brought about without struggles 
from without and from within. It looked very foolish before the 
world that a poor and insignificant monk should dare to go to 
war with such an organized army as the Catholic Church was 
then, but it was the Lord of Hosts who supported His servant 
and gave him strength to win one victory after another. Here 
we are reminded of what Luther wrote at one time, — words 
which are found at the gate to the Augustinian Convent : ' ' Nie- 
mand lasse den Glauben daran faren, dasz Gott durch ihn eine 
grosze That will." (No one should let his faith go, because God 
wishes to do a great thing through him). At the same place we 
read: "Ich habe einmal das Papstes Decret allhier zu Witten- 
berg verbrannt und Ich wolle's wohl noch einmal verbrennen." 
(I have once here at Wittenberg burnt the decree of the Pope 
and I can burn it once more). 

From the Luther house it is only a short distance to 
the house of Melanchthon. It is located on the same street, and 
the interior is something like Luther's. Here lived the great 
man who by right is called the teacher of Germany, and who, 



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because of his gifts and Christian principles, gave such a power- 
ful support to Luther in the work of reformation. On the other 
side of the street the church is located, where Bugenhagen used 
to preach. The church looks quite old, and there are many 
memories connected with it from the time of the reformation. 
Not far from the church is the house of pastor Bugenhagen. I 
rapped at the door and was admitted. It was a treat to see the 
place where this good and faithful man lived and labored. On 
an open place near the old city church is a little chapel, only 
32x18. In this chapel the reformers used to hold their meetings. 

We went back to the street again and continued our wander- 
ings and soon came to the Castle Church in the western end of 
the city. This church is joined to the old castle and hence it is 
called Castle Church. The history of this church is intensely 
interesting. It was on the door of this church that the reformer 
nailed the ninety-five theses against the sale of indulgences, 
the 31st of October, 1517, at noon, the day before All Saints day. 

The contents of these theses spread with a wonderful rapid- 
ity. They kindled a flame and many were warmed by this fire. 
In this church the gospel was preached in its purity. Here the 
communion was celebrated and both wine and bread were given 
to co mm unicants. From this church the altars and images were 
thrown out on the street, while Luther was at Wartburg. Here 
he preached a whole week after his return from "Wartburg. By 
these sermons he was able to quell the uproar of the anabaptists, 
and in them he showed wherein true liberty consists. The true 
teachers of the gospel gathered themselves around Luther, and 
the anabaptists had to flee. 

The church was built in honor of the Virgin Mary in the 
thirteenth century. It looks very antiquated. On the walls we 
observe the pictures of the apostles, Andrew and James. This 
inscription dates from the olden times, when the saints were 

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worshiped in this church. This is evident from inscriptions like 
this: "Holy Andrew, pray for us; holy James, pray for us." 
On the door the theses of Luther are cast in metal. They are 
written in Latin in six columns, three on each door. Around 
the theses there are inscriptions of nine boys, who are singing. 
It is well known that Luther very early made use of singing, 
and the Lutheran church has been styled the singing church 
because of it. The evangelical song has proved itself very power- 
ful in the spread of the gospel. But someone may ask: "How 
does this building look?" It is not a magnificent structure, by 
any means. It dwindles into insignificance in comparison with 
St. Paul's Cathedral at London and St. Peter's Church at Rome. 
It is much smaller and very plain. In this respect the words 
of the apostle should be fulfilled : ' ' God hath chosen the foolish 
things of the world to confound the wise ; and God hath chosen 
the weak things of the world to confound the things which are 
mighty." (1 Cor. 1:27). 

On the north side, there are six windows with carved arches 
above. The church is, to some extent, built into the castle, which 
is near by. It was Frederick the Wise who built this sanctuary. 
Let us enter this wonderful sanctuary and take a good look at 
the interior. We enter on the north side, through the very door 
upon which the theses were nailed. Right before us is an aisle 
which crosses the main aisle. Having read so much about this 
edifice it is no wonder that we enter this church building with 
a peculiar feeling. We thought of that man, who in the provi- 
dence of God was destined to awaken the people of Germany 
and let a new and bright light shine, that they might find the 
way. On the cross aisle, near the pulpit, is the grave of Martin 
Luther, and on the other side is the last resting place of Philip 
Melanchthon. On Luther's grave these words are written: 
' - Here lies the body of Martin Luther, Doctor of Theology, who 



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died at Eisleben, Feb. 18th, 1546, in an age of 63 years, 2 months 
and 10 days." On the grave of Melanchthon these words are 
written : ' ' Here lies the body of the renowned Philip Melanchthon, 
who died in this town, April 19th, 1560, in an age of 63 years, 
2 months and 2 days." 

From there we proceeded to Halle. We went there to see 
the " Frankestif tungen, " and for no other reason, and certainly 
this was reason enough, since these institutions are known all 
over the world. As. we came to the great orphan home, we saw 
over the door, by the eagle, these words: "But they that wait 
upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up 
with wings as eagles, . . ." (Is. 40:31.) We went into the book 
store. It is quite large and spreads Christian literature over the 
land. Following a guide, we looked through the building, which 
is a very large one, indeed. From the roof we had a splendid 
view over the Saale river, which passes through the city and 
out over a good portion of Germany. 

Perhaps the reader is familiar with the work of August 
Herman Franke. He was a wonderful man in many ways. The 
work which he did here at Halle had a very small beginning, 
but thus it has always been in the kingdom of God. With two 
empty hands he went to work in the name of God and gathered 
some poor and needy children, who were in need of protection 
and care. In 1698 he succeeded so well that he could lay the 
foundation of his orphan home, and from this small beginning 
the wonderful institution sprang up and became a source of 
blessing to the church of Christ. When he was in need of help, 
in money or building material, he went to his closet of prayer, 
and God did not let this faithful servant call in vain for help. 
Often his prayers were answered in a most remarkable manner. 

From the University of Halle many young men went forth 
to spread the gospel of Christ, and thus Halle became the center 



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of a spiritual work, that meant so much, for the kingdom of God. 
From this city missionaries went forth to India and America, 
and, of course, to many countries in Europe. 

Halle became the center of pietism, and the orphan home 
here is a glorious monument to the pietistic movement in Ger- 
many. Franke was a pietist in the very best sense of the word. 
Dedicated to God in faithful prayer and child-like faith, he 
sought above all the salvation of immortal souls. It is very 
instructive to see that the Christian love and faith has so many 
worthy monuments here and there, erected to the honor and 
glory of the Master. "We think of a Miller in England, a Hud- 
son Taylor in China, who by their faith and work have demon- 
strated what God can do through weak and frail men. 

These men followed the same method as August Herman 
Franke. When the treasury was empty they did not think of 
arranging all sorts of questionable socials and attractions, 
which a fallen and faithless church has arranged to secure 
money for the treasury. No, these men went into their closet 
and placed their need before the mercy-seat of Christ in 
prayer, and they did not trust in vain in the promises. Thus 
Franke, Miller, Hudson and many others carried on their work, 
and how often do we not find that the Lord keeps his promises 
to answer the prayer of an earnest man. 

Our present age would have a great deal to learn from 
these men along the lines of trust in God, and the sooner we 
follow their methods, the better for our church and its many 
needs. Did not the apostle James say: "Ye have nothing, 
because ye ask not. Ye ask and receive not, because ye ask 
amiss." (James 4: 2-3). 

At present there are 3,500 children at the elementary 
school of the institution and about 500 of these live in the old 
buildings. There are 118 teachers at the school. As we passed 

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through some of the rooms, we saw a number of children sitting 
by tables, eating dry pieces of bread, and they looked so lonely. 

As we returned to the station, we saw at the end of the 
alley between the buildings, a statue of the founder of the 
institution. It is very refreshing to see such institutions. 
They prove to the world that there is something in Christian 
love; it is a living reality in this cold and dreary world. 

Our time is limited and we remind ourselves that at the 
station the train is waiting for us and we must speed on to 
Eisleben and try to see this town also, ere darkness sets in. 
The country between Halle and Eisleben is very idyllic. At 
seven P. M. our train pulls in at the Eisleben station. It was 
somewhat late, but what could we do ? We must see the town 
where Martin Luther was born and where he also died. The 
city is located partly in a valley and partly on adjoining hills. 
As we arrived we saw some mines to the right of the railroad, 
and some of them are still in operation. At this time we must 
remind ourselves why the parents of Luther came to this place. 
They were poor and sought work in these mines, and thus 
Luther became a miner's son. 

But we must see the house where the reformer was born, 
or the " Geburthaus. " It is located on the Luther street, about 
the middle of the town. When we came there it was late and 
the shadows began to fall. The old lady who showed us the 
rooms in the inn had to kindle a light, so that we could see the 
rooms clearly. We reminded ourselves that the house where 
he was born was at that time a hotel, and it seems that they 
lived in this place to begin with. There were two rooms that 
were at the disposal of the family and one was fairly large, 
but the other was quite small. In this dwelling was born to the 
miner's family a son, on the 10th of November, 1583, one hour 
before midnight. The pious parents brought him to St. Peter's 



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Church, which is located near by, to be baptized. When we had 
seen that Geburthaus and the swan, which is kept there, and 
some other objects of interest, we went, of course, to see the 
church. It is still preserved and it looks very quaint and old. 

From this place we went to see the house where Martin 
Luther died. It is located on Market Street, near the St. 
Andrew's Church. When we came there it was quite dark 
and the door to the house was locked, so that we could not 
get in. In the upper story of this building he drew his last 
breath, and when he was asked if he would die in the faith 
he had been preaching, he answered: "Yes" — his very last 
word. He died February 18th, 1546, at two o'clock in the 
morning. The reader will remember his last hours as por- 
trayed in the church history, how with hope and Christian 
faith he held out to the end. 

From Eisleben we went to Leipzig, the largest book- 
market in the world, and from there we proceeded to Liitzen. 
It is not necessary to relate what took place at Liitzen the 6th 
of November, 1632. The whole world knows it, and every 
Swede knows it by heart from childhood. Here is a battle- 
field where the greatest son of Northland fought and bled, 
conquered and died, but he died victoriously. With 80,000 
valiant soldiers he gave his life on the soil of Germany that 
the world might have the liberty of conscience. Even a 
Swedish American walks along this battlefield with the greatest 
emotion. 

Here it was that the Swedish king fought so bravely with 
his noble troops. The army of Wallenstein, which had taken up 
their position at Liitzen, heard in the early morning how the 
Swedes sang their war song, "A Mighty Fortress Is Our 
God, ..." and this shows where they sought their strength. 
It became necessary for the Swedish army to pass over the 



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brook Flossgraben, which they then had on their right side, 
and further to the east they had Miihlgraben, a brook of the 
same size. The armies came together at the road that leads 
to the west from Liitzen. King Gustaf Adolphus fell a little 
to the north of the road, where it curved at that time. The 
army of the enemy fled away from the battlefield, and the 
Swedish army remained on the field with their fallen king 
over night. Wallenstein 's flight proves who won the day. 

"Who can measure the amount of blood that flowed here, 
and the value of this victory for the race ! A thankful pos- 
terity has erected buildings on this plain in honor of the fallen 
heroes. Here is the "Gustaf Adolph" monument and a chapel 
built by the Hon. Consul Ekman of Sweden. On the monument 
these words are written: "Faith is the victory that conquers 
the world." Here fell Gustavus Adolphus Nov. 6th, 1632. He 
carried on the wars of the Lord. "For God has not given us 
the spirit of fear." (2 Tim. 1 :7.) On a slab near the monument 
these words are inscribed : 1 1 Gustavus Adolphus fell here in 
the struggle for liberty of conscience, November 6th, 1632." 

The journey to Liitzen was very pleasant, and how could 
it be otherwise? We are on historical grounds and remind our- 
selves of the mighty deeds of our fathers. And yet there was 
something that made us feel somewhat downhearted. It was 
Sunday, but nevertheless we found a large number of people 
harvesting in those very fields which had been moistened by the 
blood of the Swedish soldiers. In this town there were quite a 
few women sitting along the streets knitting, and we thought 
that this way of keeping the Lord's day was rather strange to 
us, who came from the New World. 

We left Liitzen on the afternoon train and went back to 
Leipzig, saw the Augustus place and the university, made a 
little tour in the "learned city" and went back to our hotel, 

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Du Nord. The following morning saw us on the way to Erfrut. 
There are many Luther places to be seen. We saw them, of 
course. Here we saw the university in which Martin Luther 
registered as a student in 1501. There he spent quite a few 
years, manifesting his ability as a student. "The whole uni- 
versity admired him," said Melanchthon. 

Luther was 18 years of age when he entered the university. 
When he had been there two years he found to his great sur- 
prise in the university library a Latin Bible. Never before had 
he seen a whole Bible. Opening it, his eyes first fell on the 
story of Hannah, the mother of Samuel. Very much delighted 
with this story in this wonderful book, he went back to his dear 
book again and again. We all remember the consequences of 
this wonderful discovery. A new world lay before his eyes in 
this volume, and he was eager to secure more knowledge. Having 
found this remarkable book, he was determined to give this 
treasure to the people, and he did so. Reformation was hidden 
in this book. 

In 1505 he became Master of Arts, but his eyes had not as 
yet been spiritually opened. Ere long, however, this happened 
in the convent cell at Erfrut and later, on the Pilate's stair at 
Rome. We went to see the old university building. It is old 
and looks it, too. The walls are built of rough hewn stones of 
different sizes. On the wall by the door we read these words: 
"The University building was erected in 1372, restored 1512 
and 1692, University building till 1816." We wished to see the 
building inside, rang the bell and asked permission to do so. 
We went into the chapel and saw the very room where the 
reformer had been sitting many a day, drinking from the foun- 
tain of knowledge. This building is now used as a high school, 
and they were having recitations in some of the rooms. 

While pursuing his studies here, he came to the conclusion 



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that he should enter the cloister and he did so. The immediate 
cause for entering was that he was visiting his parents at Mans- 
feld, and during this journey he was nearly killed by lightning. 
Inviting his friends to a plain supper, he makes known his 
intentions to them, and although they try to dissuade him, he 
fulfills his vow, and enters the Augustinian convent, which is 
quite near the university. As yet he had no Bible, but he took 
two books with him to his cloister cell — Plato and Virgil. Late 
one dark evening, the 17th of August, 1505, he raps at the con- 
vent door and is admitted. He was then 21 years old. 

We wished to see the convent, of course, and the Luther 
cell particularly. This is located near the church where he 
used to attend services, and where he preached later on in life. 
The cloister is located on the Augustinian Street, a very 
crooked and narrow one. We rang the bell and were admitted. 
A young girl took us up to the second story in the southwest 
corner of the building. Here is the historical room. It is small, 
only 12x9, has only one window towards the south and is quite 
dark and gloomy within. 

The floor is of square stone tablets. Many a day the stern 
monk has walked on these stones, sighing for a brighter day. In 
the chamber we found his flute and its cover, a Bible, a chair, and 
a table. There was a fire in this building in 1872, and it became 
somewhat damaged. In the corner to the right as we enter is 
kept the door on which he rapped, that evening he was admitted. 
In the window was another Bible, but it was of a later date. We 
sat down in turn in the chair and sought to place ourselves in the 
position of the monk as he strove for light and liberty. 

If the walls of this cell could speak and tell the story, what 
would they not relate? Think of the battle of a soul, trying to 
come to the glorious liberty of the Son of Man! Here the 
reformation took place in the heart of Martin Luther and, had 



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there been no reformation in his heart, there would have been 
no reformation in the church. It was necessary that Luther 
should become a new man before he could bring forth a new 
creation in the church of Christ. 

Returning to the station, we lingered for some time at a 
Luther statue. We observed that on the pedestal these words 
were written: "I shall not die but live." (Ps. 118:17.) On 
one side is an inscription of a young man playing on a flute ; on 
the other, of a man resting on his knees by an old man, and 
on his knee lies an open Bible. Beside this there is an inscription 
of a young man stepping out of a carriage. All this represents 
events in the life of the reformer. 

Leaving Erfrut we went to Eisenach. The train passed 
through very scenic country. The land became more and more 
rolling, and wooded as we proceeded southward. Here and there 
on the hills we noticed castles or ruins of castles from the Middle 
Ages. At ten o'clock we were at Eisenach, a city of many Luther 
reminiscences. This town has 22,000 inhabitants and we deter- 
mined to stop here for some time and see the town. At the 
Hotel Turinger Hof we found a very good lodging-place. 

First of all we went to the castle of Wartburg. It took us 
about twenty minutes to get to the top, six hundred feet above 
the city. The journey to the top is a very agreeable one. 

A great many tourists went through the castle while we 
were there, and we saw the chapel where Martin Luther used 
to preach when at Wartburg. As we returned we saw in the 
Anti-Fortress the Luther room. It was this room in particular 
that was the object of my journey to Wartburg. 

The room is not very large and has two windows on the 
west side. When one enters, there is, to the right, a bedstead, 
and near the bed in the other corner is an iron oven, and above 
the door is the armor which Luther wore when he was here. 



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To the left of the door is a chair, and a very quaint-looking 
cupboard, and by the wall right opposite the door is a table 
over which a bookshelf is fastened to the wall. The walls are 
covered with rough planed boards. In this chamber you also 
find the picture of Luther, to the right the picture of his father, 
and to the left the picture of his mother. 

In this room he translated the New Testament and wrote 
some of his sermons. All this is, of course, well known to the 
reader. But we should have said something about the ink spot 
on the wall behind the oven. The story of this ink spot does 
not seem to have historic grounds. But there is another throwing 
of ink, which is true, and that is the printer's ink used in the 
publication of his books for the enlightenment of mankind. Luther 
made good use of the printer's ink to propagate the teachings of 
the Scripture. 

To this place Luther came and found a safe refuge under 
the protecting hand of Frederick the Wise. What memories 
from past church history do we find here at this fortress ! We 
enjoyed ourselves very much here until the evening came and 
we had to depart. As we left we looked into the chamber of 
arms. Here we saw all kinds of weapons of warfare from the 
Middle Ages. When one beholds this terrible armor which was 
used by the warriors at that time, it seems as though we hear 
the bloody combat of antiquity. 

Thus we had seen Wartburg, or the "Patmos of Luther," 
and never shall we forget the interesting places which we saw 
that afternoon. We took in the whole vicinity of the neighboring 
regions, and scanned with our field glass this historic ground 
round about Wartburg. It is certainly worth while to visit 
this place. On our way to the hotel, we went to the house which 
once belonged to the kind-hearted woman, Ursula Cotta. We 
do not need to remind the reader that it was outside this house, 



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that little Luther as a young student sang for bread. This 
house is located on Market Street, and looks very rickety. To 
our surprise, the Germans use this house as a beer house or 
saloon. We entered, not to drink beer, but to see the door before 
which Luther, with other boys, sang for bread. There in the 
corner stands the door, and it looks very old and quaint. We 
certainly do not think it proper to use such a landmark in the 
history of this man for a "beer-stube." When Luther was ad- 
mitted into this house, his financial condition was secured, and 
he could now go on with his studies uninterrupted, and so he did. 
When this little poor boy had become the light of his age he 
received a son of this family into his house and admitted him 
to his table. In this way he wished to return the favor which 
Ursula Cotta had bestowed upon him. When he thought of this 
godfearing woman, who gave him bread in his hour of need, he 
said: "On earth is nothing more lovely than a woman's heart 
in which piety dwells. ' ' 

As we returned from the house of Ursula Cotta, we met a 
little boy, who asked in a very shy manner for a gift, that he 
might get a lodging-place for the night. We thought of Luther, 
who, centuries ago, just a few blocks from here, was begging 
for bread, and we gave him some money for a bed. Who knows 
what God can do with such little boys ? 

The following morning found us early on the train, bound 
for Coburg. Why did we go to Coburg ? And why ascend to the 
fortress on the hill, the "region of the birds?" The answer is 
this: It was a diet in Augsburg, 1530. The evangelical Chris- 
tians in Germany were called upon by the Emperor of Germany, 
Charles V, to give an account of themselves as to their teachings 
in Christianity. They did so the 25th of June that year. Luther 
did not dare to go further, because the ban of the Catholic church 
was upon him and he was not safe, if he went out of the dominion 



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of Frederick the Wise. Here at Coburg he was protected, but 
not further south. He remained here about six months. The 
diet was called for an earlier date, but did not meet till June. 
During this delay the evangelical Christians had a chance to 
prepare their confession and get it in the matchless form in 
which it is given to the church. It might be said that the con- 
tents of this Augsburg Confession are from Luther, but the 
form is that of Melanchthon. 

While Luther was here at Coburg, he translated some of 
the Prophets and the Psalms of David. From this place he 
wrote letters to Melanchthon, letters full of hope and con- 
solation. He also wrote to others that attended the diet. Some 
have thought that he now wrote the hymn, "A mighty Fortress 
Is Our God," but this cannot be proven. According to others, 
he wrote this psalm before he came to Coburg. Later writers 
seem to have this idea. I leave this matter for scholars to settle. 
It was, however, a great pleasure for me to pay a visit to this 
historic place. It is also interesting to see the old relics kept 
here, such as weapons of warfare, chariots and old garments, etc. 

We did not stop here very long. We passed through the 
rooms very hurriedly and then went down to the station. A 
very heavy rain shower fell, but we hastened onward to our goal. 

As we came to the station the train was ready to depart. 
Here I left my fellow-tourists. They went to Munich and I to 
Niirnberg. On a fast train I soon came to the boundaries of 
Bavaria. This country looks very much like Turingia. Late at 
night I arrived at Niirnberg and registered at Bamburger Hof. 
I am now in Niirnberg, so rich in historical memories. The city 
lies on a plain and has 300,000 inhabitants. In this city the 
religious peace was concluded July 23, 1532, The reader will' 
recollect that the resolution of the Diet of Augsburg was a decla- 
ration of war against the evangelical Christians. They concluded 



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a union of defense in Schmalcalden, 1531, the object of which 
was to assist each other against any attack on the Protestants 
with the object of surprising them. The Emperor was not ready 
for such an energetic decision from the side of the Protestants, 
and concluded the peace referred to above. This peace gave 
liberty of conscience to the evangelical party until a council 
could be held to settle this question or the contention between 
the Protestants and the Catholics. 

But the Pope and the Emperor were not willing to have 
such a council, because it might infringe upon their idea of 
supremacy. The Emperor was compelled to conclude peace, 
however, because the Turks pressed him very hard, threatening 
to enter into his extensive empire, so that he had no other alter- 
native, as he needed all his subjects to fight them. 

I did not stay long in Nurnberg, and went on to Augsburg. 
On the way I passed Noerdlingen. This palace has its sad 
memories, especially for the Protestants in the Thirty Years ' War. 
We recollect that it was on these plains that the Protestants 
suffered a severe defeat in 1634. Gustaf Hoorn and Duke Bern- 
hard came to their assistance, but the enemy was too strong for 
them and the Protestants had to flee. Bernhard sought his 
safety by flight, and Hoorn was taken captive and held in 
prison for eight years. Not a single Swedish regiment partook 
in this battle. The outcome could have been different if the 
Swedish army had had a chance to try its strength at the enemy 
in this conflict. 

We are now on the way to Augsburg. This part of Ger- 
many reminds us a great deal of certain parts of central Sweden. 
Here are valleys and hills and in some places mountains, cov- 
ered with fir trees, with sandy heaths in between. It is harvest 
time and I see all along the railroad how busy men and women 
are harvesting the crops on the fields. I saw no self-binders, 



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but the men were cutting the grain and the women were binding 
it. Further south in Bavaria I saw them haul in the grain; 
and they used cows instead of horses. It looked a little peculiar 
to an American. I had seen nothing of the kind before. 

While I observed these things from the car window, and 
especially how the women were doing all kinds of work in the 
field, I thought of the condition of the woman in America. 
Surely a golden era has arisen in the New World in regard to 
the women. The condition of the women in America is so 
marked in comparison with other countries that America may 
truly be called the "Promised" land for women, because in no 
other country in the world is the woman enjoying such privileges 
as there. 

Those who complain of the condition of the women in our 
own beloved county, ought to go abroad and study the con- 
dition of the women in other countries. As I was meditating 
on these things, our train rolled in at the Augsburg station. 
It was ten o'clock in the morning. 

This is, then, the ancient Augsburg. To this place came 
Martin Luther, Friday, October 7th, 1518, in the evening, at 
the suggestion of the Pope. A meeting was held here between 
Martin Luther and the delegate of the Pope, Cardinal Thomas 
de Vio from Cajeta, and because of this he is commonly called 
Cajetanus. Luther stopped at the Augustinian convent here. 
On his way to Augsburg Luther took sick, but he recovered 
and spoke with great fortitude to the nuntio of the Pope. Fri- 
day, Octobed 11th, Luther appeared before the delegate, and 
being instructed to fall upon his knees, he did so, and being 
told to arise, he did so and spoke to the nuntio in this wise: 
"Highly esteemed Father! As requested by the Pope and my 
gracious Lord, the Elector of Saxony, I appear as the obedient 
and submissive son of the Christian Church and acknowledge 



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myself the author of the theses in question. I am prepared to 
listen in all humility to the things whereof I am accused and 
to be elucidated according to the truth, if I have erred. ' ' After 
this address there followed a most interesting discussion between 
the delegate and Luther. The former found, to his surprise, 
that he had before him a man who was not willing to retreat 
without being convinced. He must be shown, by the Scripture, 
wherein he had deviated. Not less than three times did Luther 
appear before the nuntio, but without the desired result. At 
last Cajetanus exclaimed: "Revoca aut non revertere." (Recant 
or do not return.) Luther left and went to the convent. He 
expected to hear from the legate again, but did not hear a 
word, and at the suggestion of the friends who knew the tactics 
of Rome, he resolved to leave Augsburg. Having written a 
letter to the legate, he prepared for his journey. Early in the 
morning before daybreak, he started on his journey homeward. 
General Superintendent Staupitz, who was at Augsburg at that 
time, placed a horse at his disposal. He rode on this horse, 
which had no bridle, and he himself had no boots or weapon of 
any kind. Through a little gate, which a friend had arranged 
to have open for him, he went homeward. 

But we are still at Augsburg, and we wish to remind our- 
selves of the great day in the history of the Lutheran church 
here. It was in the summer of 1530. A diet was announced by 
the Emperor Charles V. The great day of this diet was June 
25th, when the representatives of the Evangelical Church were 
gathered before the Emperor and the representatives of the 
empire. The Confessio Augustana was read before the Emperor 
of the land, and that day became the confirmation day of the 
Lutheran Church. On that day she wrote one of the most 
beautiful chapters in her history, and not only that, but one 
of the most marked chapters in the history of mankind. 



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When the noted representatives of the empire were gathered, 
the Chancellor of Saxony came forward to read the confession. 
The Emperor had requested that the Latin copy be read, 
but the Elector of Saxony asked that the German copy be used, 
inasmuch as they were on German soil. Then Byer came forth 
with the German copy and read slowly and distinctly the con- 
fession of the Evangelicals. All felt that a great confession 
had been given before the world. Then it was that the Bishop 
of Augsburg said: "All that the Lutherans have said is the 
pure truth ; we cannot deny it. ' ' 

That the people of that time could understand the true 
condition of the struggle in the church is also clear from ' a 
certain play. While Charles V sat at the dinner table, a play was 
enacted to entertain the company, according to the custom of 
the time. There appeared in the hall a heavy-set old man, 
dressed in a doctor's garb, carrying a bundle of twigs and wood. 
This he threw in the furnace, and then went out. On his back 
they had written "Reuchlin." After him came another man 
with a very intelligent appearance. He went to the furnace, 
arranged the wood and the bundle of twigs that were there ; 
but when he could accomplish nothing to kindle the fire, he 
shook his head and went out. On his back they had written 
"Erasmus from Rotterdam." Then entered a monk with a 
lively appearance. He carried a tray of glowing coal in his ; 
hands. He turned the wood, kindled the wood by his coal so 
that the fire flamed high up in the air and then he went out. On 
his back was written ' 1 Martin Luther. ' ' After him came a f 
man of noble appearance, dressed in an imperial garb and a 
sword by his side. By mighty strokes with his sword he sought 
to quench the fire, but it was all in vain. The more he cut with 
his sword, the more the fire flamed up in the air. Nothing was 
written on the back of the man, but all knew for whom it was 

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meant. In a little while came another man, dressed in a red 
coat and wearing a priestly garb. He went to the fire, and 
being terrified, he threw his hands together and looked for 
something with which to quench the fire, and then he observed 
two jars in the hall. The one was filled with oil and the other 
with water. He grabbed the jar of oil and poured it on the 
fire with the consequence that the flames went still higher, where- 
upon he fled from the room in terror. On his back they had 
written "Leo V." It was a very plain but significant play, 
setting forth very briefly the history of reformation. 

In this city my fellow-tourists and I separated, they to go 
to Paris, and I to Munich. We bade one another farewell, and 
for some time I felt quite lonely on my journey. We had been 
together over the Atlantic, over a greater part of Europe, and it 
was not surprising that I felt lonesome at first, but I was not 
alone; God was with me, and what a blessed thought that God 
will follow us on the way. With Him we can safely intrust 
ourselves to unknown days. 



[67] 



Chapter IV 



TO CONSTANTINOPLE AND WHAT I SAW THERE 

IT IS the 18th of August and I am going to travel with 
strangers after this. In a few minutes I boarded the train 
at Augsburg for Munich. The journey took the rest of the day, 
and I arrived at the railroad station at Munich at 5 :40 P. M. 
Munich is a large city with an historic past, and is the capital 
of Bavaria. This part of Germany is mostly Catholic. The city 
of Munich is mostly noted for its numerous and beautiful 
paintings. 

Before we leave this city, let us remind ourselves that Gus- 
tavus Adolphus marched down through Bavaria during the 
Thirty Years' War. He had conquered Tilly, who up to this 
time had proved to be invincible, and in a decisive battle, Septem- 
ber 7th, 1631, completely crushed him. The Emperor was in a 
desperate condition. His treasury was empty, his armies beaten, 
and at the boundary line stood a mighty warrior. Then the 
Emperor turned to Wallenstein in his distress, and after due 
consideration, this general gathered an army and took command 
of it himself. The Saxons were driven out of Bohemia. The 
King of Sweden pressed forward with his army into Bavaria, 
where Tilly had gathered his troops and intrenched himself. 
Now Gustavus Adolphus attacked him the second time. Tilly 
was wounded and died shortly after. 

Now Munich must open its gates, and many had the idea 
that this city would endure the same fate as Magdeburg; but 
the Swedish King was too kind-hearted to do anything of the 



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kind. It was in this city. then, that Gustavus Adolphus entered 
victoriously, and with his victorious army conquered the enemy. 

But we must leave Munich and go on further. About 
9 A. M. my train pulled out from the station and we are on the 
way to Vienna in Austria. To begin with, our train went in an 
easterly direction, along a very fruitful valley, where indus- 
trious people had prepared for themselves beautiful homes. 

We changed trains for Vienna at Salzburg, the beautiful 
city situated in the Alpine Valley. The country through which 
we passed was very well cultivated and more rolling than that 
which we had seen before. Every foot of the soil seemed to be 
under cultivation. The houses reminded us of the buildings in 
Sweden, especially those of the southern part. 

Very often we saw women working in the field, plowing 
and cutting hay. Here I saw how the farmer drove the wagon 
with one horse hitched to the pole — a somewhat strange sight 
for a representative from the Xew World, The architecture of 
the churches reminded one very much of the church building in 
Skane. Sweden. Here I saw men and women walk about in 
wooden shoes, as they do in some parts of Sweden. 

When I arrived at Vienna. I registered at the Hotel Riva 
and remained there a few days, until I had a chance to see some- 
thing of the great city. The following day I went to the River 
Danube. I wished to see the river, of which I had read so much 
in my childhood days, and now I stood on its banks. Here at 
Vienna it is wide and flows quite slowly. It is on the northeast 
side of the city, where a long bridge stretches across it. The 
water was very dirty and somewhat yellow, resembling the water 
of the Missouri River. The city extends along the river and 
up the hillsides to the southwest. 

Here I remained for some time and then returned to the 
middle of the city, and bought books of information on Greece 



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and Asia Minor. I also bought a book of travels on Egypt. At 
Erfurt I had bought a guide-book on Palestine. In the afternoon 
I went to the Imperial Castle, which is located in the south- 
western part of the city. Its surroundings are very idyllic. I 
went to the great gate. Soldiers were there on guard, and I 
wondered whether I could be admitted into the park inside the 
gate. I marched on and no one prevented. On the southeast is 
a very beautiful park. I went in there with many others and 
sat down. I thought of the Emperor who lives in this mag- 
nificent palace, and of the great and many cares that press on 
his mind. There are those who envy the rulers of this world, 
and seem to think that they have only an easy time and happy 
days. That is a mistake, ' 1 High office, severe reckoning, " is an 
old adage and it surely holds good in this case. I am satisfied 
with my lot, and for me that is the best. An old wise man used 
to say: "The question is not how much you would like to have, 
but how much you can get along without." To him this was 
the greatest wealth — to be satisfied. In this connection I must 
relate an old story, which will illustrate my point. 

A king offered his wise men and physicians half of his 
kingdom, if they could restore him his health. They tried the 
best they could, but it was all in vain. Then one of the wise 
men said: "I know a remedy, King. If you can find a man 
who is really happy and contented and put on his shirt, then 
you will be well." The king sent out his messengers all over 
the country, but though they tried very hard to find one, they 
could not, and it seemed that they would have to give up the 
undertaking in despair. One was rich but sickly; another was 
well, but complained because of his great losses; and a third 
one complained because of his children and his neighbors ; and so 
on ad infinitum. One evening, as the messengers were ready 
to go home and give up their task, they heard a poor man, sitting 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



in a dingy little hovel, saying grace. He added that he had 
labored all day, had had his meal and was ready to go to bed, 
satisfied. The messenger became elated at the expression. He 
heard the man say that he was satisfied, and he offered to buy 
his shirt. The man answered that he was so poor he had no shirt. 

While I sat in the shadow of the palace of the mighty 
Emperor of Austria, I thought of these things and I felt that 
a man in his condition is in need of the commiseration of man. 
I left this splendid park of the Emperor of Austria and re- 
turned to the center of the city, and as I went to the gate of the 
palace, I thought of the people of God, who shall pass through 
the pearly gate of the Heavenly City. May I have the privilege 
to join the throng of the victorious host of the Lord ! 

As I returned to the city I went to see some of the noted 
churches in the metropolis. At the Stephen Place we find the 
Stephen Church, the most remarkable cathedral in Austria. I 
went in and remained there for some time. It is a magnificent 
building, but very dark and gloomy within. Crowds of people 
are walking in and out. By the statues of Mary and Christ 
many candles are burning. Around the statues there is a net- 
work, so that they could not be touched. A great many knelt 
by these statues, kissed the network around them, and said their 
prayers in a very devoted manner, while they made the sign of 
the cross on their breast. Here and there in the pews women sat 
and numbered their beads. There are many altars and confes- 
sional boxes, as is generally the case in so large a place of worship. 
From this place I went to another church, and there they were 
celebrating mass. As I did not wish to disturb them, I did not 
stay there very long, and went to a third church, namely, the 
Caroline. Here I saw how a woman knelt by the statue of the 
Saviour. Many struck themselves on the chest as though they 
would say, "Here is the sore spot." Think of the reverence 



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there is in the Catholic Church! It would be well, indeed, if 
there would be more of this among Protestants. Having seen 
the greater part of Vienna, I felt very tired, and went to bed 
early in the evening at the Riva. 

The next day, August 22, was Sunday. I determined to 
attend services at the Church Caroline in the morning. On my 
way to the church I became very much surprised to find that a 
greater part of the people were busy at their various callings, 
and it seemed to me that it was not Sunday, at all. The stores 
were wide open, and a lively trade was carried on, and no one 
seemed to think of going to church and keeping the Lord's day. 

When I came to the church, I asked a policeman if there 
was any English church in the city, and he said: "There is a 
Russian and a Greek church here, but I do not know if there is 
any English church." I inquired no further and went into the 
church. The real mass was held earlier in the morning, and 
now there was mainly a sermon by the pastor. He spoke in 
German and preached on the text about the man who fell in 
the hands of robbers. His theme was, "How we should love one 
another. ' ' It was a very good sermon, and it was encouraging 
to me to have the privilege to listen to the preaching of the 
word of God in this distant land. 

When I returned from the church, I did not see so many 
at work as I had seen when I went to the church. They had 
finished their Sunday morning business. I returned to my room 
and spent some time in studying the word of God and in medita- 
tion. We surely ought to value the blessed word of God more 
than we do. 

The following morning I arose early to take the morning 
train for Constantinople. The days that I had spent in the 
Austrian capital had been very interesting to me, but I was too 
much of a Protestant to be really satisfied in such a strong 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



Catholic center. Vienna has a great deal of interest for the 
tourist. The beautiful parks are worth while seeing and the 
large museums have their peculiar interest for the stranger. Yet 
I felt quite lonesome, when I was strolling around in the Maria- 
Sophia Park by the railroad station. Here a great throng was 
going back and forth to idle away the time, as it seemed. But 
now we must leave Vienna and hasten to the station. Here a 
great throng was gathered, waiting for the departure of the 
train. And what a motley crowd! I had a second-class ticket, 
and the cars were quite beautiful. Here in this car I must stay 
for two days and two nights. On the train I became acquainted 
with an Armenian, who. because of persecutions in his native 
land, had chosen England as his home country. He was full of 
praise for England and the Englishmen, their customs, their 
habits and their Christian standpoint on important questions. 
He spoke English fairly well, and had been living for some time 
in Constantinople. He spoke very strongly against the Chris- 
tian nations, because they have done comparatively nothing to 
hold back the sword of Mohammed: and this is too sadly true. 
This man was engaged by a certain firm in England at Man- 
chester, and he was now on the way to Constantinople in the 
interest of this firm. I received some useful information re- 
garding Turkey from this man. At Budapest our train stopped 
an hour and a half. We made the very best use of the time, 
and went out and saw quite a bit of the town. Bud a is on one 
side of the Danube and Pest is on the other. Hence the name 
Budapest, The two cities are united by a bridge, which was 
built in 1849. 

It was very interesting to see the customs and the habits of 
the people, and particularly the styles of the clothes. Having 
bought some fruit for the journey, we went to the station. Here 
we took dinner, and it was a very good one. While sitting at 

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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



the table we had a chance to see the folklife, as it manifested 
itself at the station among the great throng that passed to 
and fro. 

Soon we are on the train again, leaving this motley throng. 
We cross the Danube and hasten off in a southeasterly direction, 
with Belgrade in Serbia as our goal. The train speeds along 
over a great plain in Hungary. In the far distance a gigantic 
mass of mountains heaves in sight; but where the train rushes 
along the plain is mostly without trees, and very little of the 
land is under cultivation. We are told that here on this plain 
or plateau the most peculiar notchings are seen; they come 
very suddenly and pass away just as quickly. Here in this wild 
place the elements have a chance to play as they please, and they 
play their dramas in a most wonderful way. 

But soon we come to the end of this vast plain and are, as it 
seems, at the outposts of civilization. We draw near to the 
boundary line of Serbia. Before we come to the city of Belgrade, 
an officer comes in on the train and demands our passports. 
When he got my pass, he asked me what my occupation was, 
and when I informed him he was satisfied and went on further. 
Anyone who has not a passport is not permitted to come to 
Belgrade, which is located a little beyond the boundary line. 
After this officer had gone there came another publican, who 
looked through our valises. It did not take him very long. 
These men are very careful to ascertain whether the passengers 
have any tobacco. I do not use this weed and so they let me 
pass on. At 10:30 P. M. we were at the railroad station in 
Belgrade. It was dark when we passed through this city and 
we could not see very much of it. It was night when we passed 
through most of Serbia and I could not get any idea of the land. 
Early in the morning we got an idea as to how the country 
looked. It was very mountainous and in places the soil looked 



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poor and sandy. Here and there we saw deep valleys, and the 
houses looked dingy. The land and the people bear the stamp 
of poverty. 

At half past four in the morning I saw from the car window 
how the poor people were at work throughout the valley, and it 
seemed to me that these poor toilers had to dig early and late 
to secure their sustenance. They looked like slaves, and we all 
realized that they had a very cruel master when the Turkish 
Sultan ruled over them with an iron rod. Certain parts of 
Serbia have rich soil which, well tilled, will yield a rich return. 
We all remember what a conflict the people of Serbia had with 
the Turkish taskmasters before they could get rid of them. 

Our train runs along the River Morava to the city of Nich, 
whither we come at 6 :30 in the morning. The country round 
about this place looks wild, strange and peculiar in many ways. 
Yonder on the mountain sides flocks of sheep were feeding, while 
the peasant was gathering his harvest in the valley below. From 
Nich we follow a tributary of Morava, and along this our train 
winds its way to Pirot and Zaribrod. These small towns are 
located towards the boundary lines of Bulgaria. We are now 
passing through a very dark and narrow valley called Dervanter 
Cliff. High mountains rise almost perpendicularly on both 
sides of the railroad, and at times the valley where our train 
passes through is so dark that it looks very much like a tunnel. 
Not a ray of the sun reaches down to the bottom of this narrow 
pass. 

At last we have passed through the cliff, and we find our- 
selves in a more attractive region, but here we find no trees or 
bushes, only a naked and barren tract. Nature becomes more 
wild, not a field is found, no human dwelling-place, not a house 
of any kind. Our train rushes along the mountain sides, ever 
onward and soon we enter a plateau in the southwestern corner 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



of the same. This plateau is very desolate. The sun in this 
month of August has burnt up everything on this plain. 

Before we come into Bulgaria we must show our passports, 
and our baggage is scrutinized by the publicans of the country. 
As for my part, I had nothing to fear. As these men passed 
through the train, looking through the baggage, it seemed to 
me that they did this in a very perfunctory manner, and simply 
because they had to. 

Now as we came to the above-named plateau, we saw in the 
northeastern end of this vast plain a lot of houses looming up 
towards the mountains of Balkan. It is the capital city of Bul- 
garia, the city of Sofia. It was the 24th of August, when we 
arrived at this place at 3 P. M. This city has a very romantic 
location here on this plateau within sight of the picturesque 
mountains. The soil looks very poor. The people of Bulgaria 
have not as yet learned to till the soil as they ought, but they 
will, no doubt, take hold of this work in the future. Poverty 
stares you in the face all over. I shall never forget the painful 
feeling that possessed me when at the station of Zaribrod I saw 
some policemen. They were ragged; and if this is indicative of 
the condition of the country, the people are in very straitened 
circumstances. 

But we must say of Bulgaria as we said of Serbia. A coun- 
try under the scepter of the Turkish Sultan cannot develop. 
These people have so recently become free from the bondage of 
the Sultan, that it is no wonder that they have not as yet been 
able to develop. They were liberated in 1878. Our train worked 
its way down the Balkan mountains and late in the afternoon 
we came to the city of Philipoppel. Even here the country and 
its people looked very poor. The people are in rags. 

At 9 P. M. we came to the Turkish boundary. The name 
of the station is Mustapha Pascha. There were many things 



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here that reminded us of Turkey. Our train exchanged per- 
sonnel and Turkish officials with the red fez on the head took 
charge of the train. We must show our passports again and 
allow the Turkish publicans to take charge of our baggage and 
look them over. This they did in a very careful manner. One 
of these men got hold of my camera, and wished to know if I 
brought it along for my own use, and I told him that I did. 
Then he got hold of my guide-books and looked them over care- 
fully. He understood neither German nor English, but spoke 
good French. Here at the above-named station our train stopped 
a long time, and the trainmen had time to look over the train 
carefully before they took charge of it. The conductor looked 
to be a real gentleman, and greeted the passengers when he 
entered the car, and thanked each passenger, a la Francaise, 
when he returned the ticket. I must confess that I had enter- 
tained an entirely different opinion of these men, to begin with, 
but I found them to be more polite and congenial to the passen- 
gers than I had found conductors in my previous travels. 

When we had become somewhat accustomed to the Turkish 
officials, we went to sleep and slept well during the night, while 
fhe train was speeding along to the Turkish capital. The follow- 
ing morning I awoke about five o'clock, and as I looked out, I 
saw a barren and desolate country before me. I saw no human 
dwelling-place, but on a naked hill I observed a shepherd with 
his flock. 

Early in the morning our train followed the Maritza River 
to Adrianople. This city is located a little distance from the 
railroad. At the station Haken Keu I saw Turkish soldiers for 
the first time. At this time the country was under martial law, 
and for this reason the soldiers were on guard to enforce dis- 
cipline. Our train was speeding along in a southeasterly direction 
until we came to the Sea of Marmora, and then we followed the 



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shore in a northeasterly course, the Sea of Marmora being on 
the right. We are now in old Thrace. 

At first we passed an inland lake and then we came to San 
Stephano. This city is located on the shore of Marmora. It 
was in this town that peace was established between Turkey 
and Russia. The reader will remember that Russia, pretending 
to protect the Christians in Bulgaria had declared war on Bul- 
garia. This took place in May, 1877. In San Stephano Russia 
dictated very hard conditions of peace for Turkey. Several 
countries that had belonged to Turkey now became independent. 
This was a very good stroke on the part of Russia, and has borne 
good fruit. 

We now passed along the shore of this sea, where a number 
of suburbs are located. Here we observed the most miserable 
dwelling-places and also the stateliest mansions. Here you find 
the rich and the poor living side by side. 

Here and there we see parts of the ancient highway, Via 
Egnantia, which passed along this sea and into Macedonia and 
onward. This was the main line of the ancient Romans. Here 
and there we see fallen walls of old buildings and castles. Soon 
we observe among the trees the white minarets of the city of 
Constantine, and at 7 :35 A. M. our train rolled into the station 
at Constantinople. The station is located on the eastern side of 
the Seralj-point in Stambul. We are at Constantinople. 

My first duty is to show my passport, of course. Two men 
stood there and received it, recording my name and profession 
as well as the hotel where I was to stop. My baggage was ex- 
amined and then I was at liberty to go wheresoever I wished. 
While on the train in Sweden I met a man who had been in 
Turkey, and he advised me to go to Paulich Hotel, located in 
that part of Constantinople called Pera. When I heard a repre- 
sentative of that hotel call out Paulich, I let him take charge 



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of my baggage, and a "hammal" or carrier took charge of my 
satchel and took it out to a hack. Of course he must have 
bakschisch for his trouble, and I gave him a piaster. I went 
in a hack through a part of Stambul, over the Galata bridge 
and up to the Paulich Hotel in Pera. Here I was well taken 
care of, received a good room in the lower story, and 
had a good rest. This hotel is a center for the Europeans and 
so I determined to stay there. Having had some rest in the 
forenoon, I went out to see the omnipresent Thomas Cook & Son 
to secure some Turkish money. Then I went around here and 
there in Pera for some time to become acquainted with my new 
and peculiar surroundings. 

Perhaps I ought to remind the reader a little of the history 
of this ancient city. Here at this place, where Constantinople 
is located, Greeks from Megara began to build a city as early 
as 667 B. C, and called it Byzantium. This city, like Rome, is 
also build on seven hills, and a more beautiful location than 
this one you cannot find anywhere. Here on these hills the 
ancient Greeks have fought many a bloody battle, and the history 
of this city is full of telling events. To be sure, the earliest 
part of the history of this city is hidden in the misty past. 
When the Greeks in the fifth century became masters over this 
territory, the city became a bone of contention between the 
Spartans and the Athenians. 

It is claimed that Saint Andrew preached the Gospel here 
for the first time. About 196 A. D. Septimus Severus, the 
Roman Emperor, conquered this city with his brave legions, 
having beleaguered it for three years. In 330 A. D. Constantine 
the Great moved his capital from Rome to this place, and called 
it after himself, Constantinople. 

During the Middle Ages the armies of the Crusaders marched 
through this place on their way to the East. At one time there 



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were 1,000,000 people outside of the city, trying to get over 
the Bosporus, and onward to the Holy Land. What a wonder- 
ful movement the Crusades were. They began about 1096 and 
ended in 1291. 

About a century and a half after these events, other impor- 
tant things happened here. The mighty hosts of the Mohamme- 
dan world sought to break through at this place and enter Europe. 
With all their power they attacked two salient points so as to 
get into Europe. The one was Gibraltar, the other was Con- 
stantinople. Thousands of valiant soldiers came hither in 1543, 
and it is said that 200,000 were gathered here to press onward 
into Europe to make it tributary to Islam. 

They fought valiantly and captured the city. The very 
night when the city was captured, there was a star in the half- 
moon, or the crescent, and the superstitious Mohammedans looked 
upon this as an omen of success, and henceforth the world has 
seen in the Mohammedan banner a star in the crescent. This 
is now seen all over the Mohammedan world on the flag and on 
the minarets of their mosques. Now since that time the crescent 
has waved over these hills where the city of Constantinople is 
located. Surely there is a most wonderful and varied history 
behind this quaint old city, and one feels like a dreamer as one 
sees" this ancient city with its crooked and dingy-looking streets. 

There is a most peculiar city life here in this metropolis. 
Never had I seen such peculiar styles in the dresses as I saw 
here. Here the business man is standing in the street, doing 
his business; others are sitting around, taking life very easily. 
The Turk is by nature very lazy and does not do anything with- 
out compulsion. He is at his best when he can sit down and 
smoke his water-pipe (narghila). This pipe is so arranged that 
the smoke passes through a jar of water, and thus it becomes 
cooled off. 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 

In Constantinople you will see a phase of street life that 
you can find in no other city in the world. Here you will find — 
so it is said — about 1,100,000 inhabitants. I say "about" be- 
cause there is no census taken in that country. It is said that 
there are about 3,000,000 dogs in this city ; hence there are about 
three dogs to every person. These poor animals are owned by 
no one, and no one is responsible for them. No one is permitted 
to kill them. They are common property and act as a scavenger 
corps in the city. In the daytime they are on the streets, lying 
down in hollow places, or crawling together in some hidden 
corner, looking very sleepy and emaciated. Generally they are 
still in the daytime, but in the night they are very busy on 
their job. In the capacity of city scavengers they are permitted 
to serve from year to year, and all they get is the offal from the 
houses, which is thrown on the streets. They disturb no one 
and are disturbed by no one, but woe be unto him who steps on 
them or molests them in any way or shape. Then they show 
that they have life and courage. In the night they are very 
busy and then you hear their howlings all the time. These dogs 
have their marked territory and pity the dog that comes 
into the territory of another group of dogs. I heard their bark- 
ings all night, and by this I could understand that some one 
got hurt. 

But we are on the way to Galata in this motley city, and 
will try to forget the dogs, for a while at least. When I came, 
I drove over this bridge very hastily, and had no time to observe 
the throng that passes this strange bridge of sighs. This bridge 
unites the two parts of the city, Stambul and Galata, and is 
stretched over the Golden Horn, which is a bay of the Bosporus. 
It has the form of a horn and is called "Golden" because in 
times past much gold was brought into this bay. 



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My first object must be to study the people that pass along 
this great highway. It is a pontoon bridge. I took my stand 
at the northern end of the bridge, so that I might be able to 
observe all that could be seen. Here you will see people from 
all parts of the world and people of all colors — black, white, 
yellow, brown and copper colored. Some are dressed in rags and 
others are robed in satin and silk. And think of the various 
kinds of garments they wear ! Here is a point where three worlds 
meet. 

It will cost one meteik to pass over the bridge, or one cent 
in American mone}^. There are two offices, one at each end of 
the bridge, where you can secure your tickets. 

The first thing that aroused my curiosity as I stood on the 
bridge was the numerous red caps, or fez, which in almost every 
case was worn by the men. The garments of the Turks are not 
in the least attractive to a representative of the New World. 
But we shall not discuss the question of taste and form, because 
what to them might be so very tasty and proper, might be entirely 
out of place and proportion for us. 

As I stood there a long time on the bridge and occasionally 
looked over the bay, I saw busy men on the Bosporus loading 
ships for distant shores. At the side of the bridge I saw a 
Mohammedan offer prayer to Allah. He placed his coat on the 
seat in the boat, or kajik, then stood a little while praying ; then 
he bent down a little, and having prayed in that position for 
some time, he fell on his knees. Then he bent down to his coat 
three times in succession and then he arose again to continue 
as he had done before. This was the first time I had seen a 
Mohammedan go through his devotional exercises, but not the 
last time. 

I determined to go further and followed the stream. To 
begin with, I felt a little strange among those half-civilized 



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people, but soon I became used to the new condition, and felt 
more easy among them. When I came to the other end of the 
bridge, I found the scaffolds where some of the offenders against 
the regime of the Young Turks had been executed. In order 
that it might have a salutary effect on the would-be transgressors, 
the scaffolds were not taken down, but were left there as a warn- 
ing to others. 

On the other side of the bridge is Stambul. I went to see 
the Sophia Mosque. It is situated quite high on a hill in the 
southwestern part of the city of Stambul, and from here there 
is a splendid view over certain parts of the city. My companion, 
a certain Mr. Gorgon, was well acquainted with the gate-keeper, 
and because I was in his company I did not need to pay an 
admission fee. But there was one thing that neither he nor I 
could escape, and that was to take off our shoes and put on the 
sandals which we found at the doors. Both of us took the shoes 
in our hands while we were walking in the mosque on the carpets 
that covered the floor. It was a strange sight to me to be per- 
mitted to walk about in this ancient temple. The reader is 
familiar with the fact that this mosque was a Christian church 
in the earlier part of the Christian era ; now it is a Mohammedan 
mosque. We went around in this building for a long time, 
looking at the walls and pillars and listening to the monotonous 
songs of the Mohammedans, who read their Al-Koran on the 
floors here and there. There are no pews or galleries in this 
house of worship. The worshipers sit down on the floor, and as 
they read the Koran they wag their bodies back and forth, as 
though they would like to shake down into their system the 
Mohammedan doctrine. My guide, Mr. Gorgon, could not stay 
very long, and so he returned to his labors. I went with him to 
the door and proposed to leave my shoes by the door, but then 
he said : ' ' No, don 't do that, for when you return you are minus 



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a pair of shoes." He knew what he was talking about, because 
in the Mohammedan world there is no conception of mine and 
thine. When Mr. Gorgon had left, I returned to look over the 
building more carefully. The mosque is built in the form of a 
square, 225 feet long and 210 feet wide. The great dome, which 
rests on the center of the building, is 180 feet about the floor 
and its diameter is 107 feet. When you look at the church inside 
you will find that it has the form of a cross with a number of 
pillars that cut off the side naves. The altar is in the eastern 
end. Here and there on the walls and on the pillars are inscrip- 
tions in Arabic, taken from the Al-Koran. 

When the building was ready, it cost $5,000,000 — truly a 
large sum! The walls are of brick and covered inside with the 
very best kind of marble. The pillars were brought from 
Ephesus, Delos, Baalbek, Heliopolis and Athens. The doors 
were made of cedar trees, ivory and precious stones, and within 
the church there were ten golden chandeliers and 6,000 golden 
candlesticks. 

Having observed very carefully the inside of this building, 
I went to take a good look at the outside. There are many 
additions made to the structure, and cupolas are built over each 
nave and in every corner where a minaret is raised, and above 
these are the crescent and star. I went all around this mosque, 
and it was a sad thought to me, that the symbol of the cross 
had been taken away and been replaced by the crescent. I asked 
myself, as I was walking around on this ground, why this hu- 
miliation was necessary. If we are familiar with the history 
of the church, we know the spiritual condition of the church at 
the time when Mohammed and his fanatical hordes marched 
over the earth, suppressing Christian faith and establishing 
the Mohammedan doctrine. 



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Christianity at that time was an empty form, and hence 
it was an easy matter to place the crescent on the place where 
the cross had stood. The Mohammedans drew the black veil of 
their doctrine over so many of the countries where the Christians 
had been working for the cross. Where the pure light of Chris- 
tianity had. been burning so bright in the early times, only dead 
forms of this light and life were to be found at the time when 
the Mohammedans came and conquered. What a warning to us 
in these times ! If we do not keep the light on the candlesticks 
burning the Master will come and take the candlestick out of 
its place and we are in the darkness. Think of the changes that 
this sanctuary has passed through ! If the stones of these walls 
could speak they would relate a very strange story. Let us 
remember that when the Crusaders came to Constantinople in 
1204, they plundered this church, and when the Turks in 1453 
captured the city they also plundered it the second time. While 
4,000 men defended the city from the walls, a great throng of 
weak Byzantines took refuge in this church. They became 
victims of the Turkish soldiers, who plundered and killed for 
ten days. Those who were not killed were sold into slavery. 
On the third day the Sultan entered the church and dedicated 
it as a house of worship. Since that time it has been a Mohamme- 
dan mosque. 

But shall it continue so to be ? We believe that the kingdom 
of Christ shall conquer, and if the world will stand, this building 
shall again be used as a Christian house of worship. So may it be ! 

From this place I went to the Hippodrome, which is located 
a little distance from Hagia Sophia. Not far from the church is 
the Parliament building, and this looks quite stately. As I was 
walking along I saw to the right a "monumental well," which 
the German Emperor, William II, had built as a memory of 
his visit here in 1898. Just think, if Luther could have surmised 



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that .the Emperor of Germany should be such a friend of the 
Sultan of Turkey ! What would he have said % 

Not far from here we find the mosque of Sultan Ahmed. 
It is of a later date and is very beautiful. Not far from this 
mosque stands the obelisk of Theodosius II. It was made in 
Egypt at Heliopolis about 1600 B. C, and it was brought to 
this place by the early rulers, and has stood here ever since. 

It began to be quite late and the sun was setting. I deter- 
mined to go to my hotel. As I looked around, I saw a little boy 
of 12 years, who addressed .me in pretty good American. He 
was the son of the Jew who brought me from the station to the 
hotel when I came to the city. This boy of 12 years spoke seven 
languages, and he spoke them quite well, too. 

The following day, August 26th, I determined to go over 
to the Asiatic side. Crowds of people pass back and forth every 
day. Return tickets cost two and a half piasters or ten cents 
each. This is very reasonable. The trip over takes 15 minutes. 
The weather was very beautiful and clear as crystal. To the 
right we have the Sea of Marmora with the Prince Islands in 
the distance. To the left of us on the height are the Galata 
and Pera parts of the city. Further on is the Bosporus and 
the Asiatic shore. At 9 :30 I set my foot on Asiatic soil for the 
first time. It was at Scutari. 

But what was my object in going to Scutari % Well, I wanted 
to see Asia and stand on Asiatic soil, and another reason was 
that I might see the howling dervishes. For some time I could 
not find the place. At last I gave up the hope of finding any, 
and was on my way to the wharf. I then met the hotel-keeper, 
Mr. Paulich, who, together with some other Germans, was on 
his way to the afternoon exhibition of the dervishes; and I re- 
turned and went with them. 



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I now found that I had passed by the place several times, 
but I did not imagine that they lived in such a hovel. We paid 
the admission fee of five piaster, or 20 cents, and went in. About 
150 were there, most of them Germans, with a sprinkling of 
Englishmen and Americans. At the east end of the room was 
a kind of choir, and in this we saw a great many swords, knives, 
javelins and revolvers. Besides these there were several cres- 
cents. On the three sides there were seats and a railing around 
the places where we sat. The floor in the middle of the room 
was open, and in this place the dervishes were giving their 
exercises. 

There were 20 dervishes in all. They sat down on skins 
and began their prayers to Allah. "La Alia illah Allah Mo- 
hammed rasul la Allah." (There is but one God and Mohammed 
is His prophet; arise to worship Allah.) With this and other 
prayers they kept on and were waving their bodies from one 
side to another; and thus they kept on until the sweat was 
pouring down their cheeks. To get some rest they sat down 
on the floor, and then the Turkish priest made a speech to them. 
This we could not understand, of course. While he made this 
speech he sat down on the floor, and after this address the exer- 
cises began again. 

When they had kept on for some time, the priest went to 
the place where the weapons were kept and took two spears, the 
length of which was somewhat over a foot and a half. A great 
iron ball was at one end of each sharp spear. Then he went 
to a young and heavily-set man, pulled away his shirt under the 
breast and ran one of the spears through the fat under the 
abdomen. The man did not wink in the least and kept on after- 
wards with his exercises, holding the globe in his right hand. 

Then the priest went to an old man. This man remon- 
strated, but he pulled him forward to the post right by my side, 

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put the spear through one of his cheeks and then stuck it in 
the post right by my side, and hit the globe with his right hand, 
thus pinning the poor fellow to the post and letting him stand 
there for about twenty minutes. Several of the dervishes swooned 
away and they carried them out of the room. Then he liberated 
these two men from their spears, and you should have seen how 
they danced on the floor hilariously. This was a very sad spec- 
tacle, and some of the women who laughed at the performance 
to begin with, fled away from the room in terror when they saw 
how the thing ended. I determined that I would see the program 
to the end, and I did. Here we had occasion to see how the 
doctrines and principles of Mohammedanism are promulgated 
and extended with the sword. I was told that these Mohamme- 
dan dervishes sometimes become so fanatical that they cut them- 
selves with knives until the blood flows in streams down their 
cheeks. A terrible spectacle ! 

These fearful exercises had such an influence on my mind 
that I could not sleep well during the night, and it was difficult 
for me even afterwards to get rid of these impressions at the 
convent. The end of the ceremonies was, perhaps, the saddest 
part. Mothers carried their children to the Turkish priest, who 
put them on the floor; and when he had placed them side be- 
side, he stepped on them successively. When they arose from 
the floor they were held by the mothers and then they kissed 
the priest. The dervishes had done the same during the exer- 
cises. The idea of these performances was to teach respect and 
obedience for authority and submission to Allah. 

The 27th of August I arose early in the morning. The 
wretched dogs helped to keep me awake, and the sleep was not at 
all satisfactory. It was a very warm day and I must go out 
to see the Sultan at selamlic, or prayer. The Sultan goes every 
Friday to some mosque to pray. This worship the Turks call 



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selamlic, Together with a Jew, by name Eidenstein, I went out 
on a street car to see this performance. We went out on the 
roof of the ear, so as to be able to see more of the city. We were 
going along to the castle Talmabagtsche. 

We came to the mosque and got a good place right opposite 
the entrance. The selamlic was to take place at 10:30 A. M., 
but we had to wait a long while until he came. A great throng 
had gathered at the mosque and there we stood on a platform. 
There was quite a space between the platform and the mosque, 
and this space they covered over with white and clean sand. 
Here we sat, waiting patiently for the Sultan of Turkey in the 
basking sunshine. About 12 :30 a group of soldiers were marched 
into the open space where we were sitting. They arranged them- 
selves in a circle in this open space in front of the mosque. After 
the soldiers came a number of well-dressed officials in uniform 
and last of all, surrounded with a strong guard, came Mohammed 
V, sitting in an open carriage. I was very near to him and could 
see him distinctly. He looked quite old and gray, and was 
dressed in a blue uniform with a red fez on his head. His eyes 
were sharp and portruding, but on the whole his appearance was 
not unpleasant. 

Just as he came within the line of soldiers the band ceased 
to play and everything became very quiet, One of the men in 
out line — I think it was an American — began to hurrah, but 
quick as a flash came a soldier and stopped him, and advised 
him to put on his hat. At occasions of this kind the Christians 
must take off their hats, but the Mohammedans may remain 
covered all the time, and so they did here. There we stood with 
uncovered heads in the hot sun, and his carriage stopped in front 
of us. He looked very kindly towards us, stepped out of the 
carriage and went into the mosque. He was walking somewhat 
stooped, and with a sword at his side. Then the muezzin in the 



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minaret above began to call out the time for prayer, singing his 
monotonous song in his usual way. Thereupon the Sultan en- 
tered the mosque to offer his prayer to Allah. The idea of this 
custom is not only that the Sultan should set an example to his 
people to worship Allah, but that he might give the common 
people an occasion to see the ruler of Turkey. 

In the afternoon I went down to Galata Bridge, crossed the 
same and went to the right on the other side. I wanted to see 
the bazaars and study, the folk-life in them. Having gone a few 
blocks along a certain street, I could not go further, because my 
organ of smell rebelled and compelled me to return. Since I 
could not go to the bazaars, I determined to visit Hagia Sophia 
once more, to remind myself of days gone by in the history of 
the Christian church. As I was walking along the open space at 
the mosque, I felt that we as Christians should do our very best 
to keep burning the light that God in His infinite love has given 
us. He who knows the history of the Christian church, and can 
remain unmoved in the shadow of the Hagia Sophia, has not 
the right conception of the Christian church. Having seen for 
the last time the mosque at near range, I returned to my hotel, 
and thus my promenades in the city of Constantine were mostly 
finished. 

And now a word as to my general impression of Constan- 
tinople. Remember that Turkey is half civilized, and, perhaps, 
not even that. It is to a great extent bound in the fetters of 
barbarism. What, then, can you expect? Only a few days' visit 
will convince anyone that there is a great difference between a 
Christian and a heathen city. And then the dirt that we find 
in this city! Filth and poverty are staring you in the face, 
wheresoever you go. Now I do not mean to say that there are 
no sins in our cities, but we are, so to speak, able to conceal 
them more than the Turks. I observed one thing that made me 



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feel glad, and it was this. I saw none of the Mohammedans 
drinking either wine or beer, but the so-called Christians were 
drinking whiskey, wine and beer very freely. You can never 
induce a Mohammedan to drink strong drinks. That is against 
his religion, and he is true to his principles. This is a bright 
side in the social life of the Turks. But if there is a bright 
spot here and there in the social life of the Turks, there are on 
the other side so many sins and so many dark shadows in their 
life that they hide the good. There is little or no honesty among 
the Turks, as for instance, when they exchange money. If you 
do not know the value of Turkish money when you go into 
Turkey, you are in a very bad predicament and the likelihood is 
that you will have to pay for learning the value of their money. 
You fall in among robbers every time you attempt to exchange 
money. 

Conditions in Turkey during the regime of the Sultan Abdul 
Hamid became unbearable. Revolution was bound to come and 
it did come. ~\Ye have a very faint idea generally of the nature 
of the government that the deposed Sultan gave his people here 
at the Yildiz kiosk on the Bosporus. He manifested an unsur- 
passed cruelty and the world will never know the details of 
that cruelty. 

Just think of the beautiful scenery round about here, and 
of the filth and sin within this city ! Here the old adage is true : 
''Only man is vile.'' As you look at the city from a distance 
you have a most excellent view. See all those minarets, the 
cypress hedges, the Sea of Marmora, the Bosporus and all the 
vessels in the harbors, and on the waters beyond! And yonder 
in Bithynia you see the snow-clad Olympus. Here by the Yildiz 
kiosk there are thousands of acres that are laid out in parks, 
and a whole multitude of buildings are erected here. This area 
is surrounded by a wall of stone 35 feet high, and there is no 

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window in it. The harem buildings, where Abdul Hamid and 
his six hundred women used to live, are separated from the parks 
by a still higher wall. Here are artificial lakes, their surfaces 
picturesquely dotted by snow-white swans. Here are conserva- 
tories, containing plants, flowers and trees of many kinds, native 
as well as exotic. Thousands of white doves spread their graceful 
wings against the clear blue of the background. The inclosure 
contains also a porcelain factory, a menagerie and a museum. 
The impression one gathers here is that he is visiting some 
foreign university. 

Within these walls no foreigner could enter ; but this is now 
the property of the people, and anyone may enter here without 
danger to his life. If anyone had been found walking around 
here during the reign of Abdul Hamid, it would not have taken 
long ere he would be thrown in the Bosporus and become food 
for the fishes. Here lived this "man of sin" for a long time, 
but his days as a ruler were numbered. Here you see the room 
in which Abdul Hamid was informed that his reign of terror 
had come to an end, and that he had to reap what he had sown, 
just like every other mortal. Here he used to sit and condemn 
to death such unfortunates as his spies had brought to him. 

Two of his spies, who had no scruples as to what they did, 
were Fehmi, the most prominent of his spies, and Mehmed, the 
executioner. These two men received the reward of their work. 
The first one was torn to pieces by a raging mob, some years ago, 
and the last one was hanged in the Month of July, 1909. When 
Abdul Hamid was deposed one of the most blood-thirsty tyrants 
that the world had ever seen was deprived of his fiendish power. 

But there is only one thing that will save Turkey. It is the 
Gospel of the living Savior, and nothing else. A great many of 
the messengers of the Master are already in the Turkish Empire ; 
many more are coming, and it is the story of the man from 



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Galilee that will change the customs and the manners of the 
Turks and bring in a new life and new customs among the down- 
trodden followers of Mohammed. May the gospel of peace soon 
come to this people in their darkness, and may they soon see the 
glorious light. Then Turkey will be regenerated. 



I 93] 



Chapter V 



FROM CONSTANTINOPLE TO ATHENS 

EARLY in the morning, the 26th of August, I gathered my 
things together and prepared for my departure from Con- 
stantinople. The boat was to depart at 9 :15 A. M., but it did not 
go before 10. I sat down on the deck, where I had a splendid 
view of the whole vicinity, and especially of the wharf. There 
was a great throng of people there to witness the departure of 
the boat. And such a mixture of a crowd I had never seen 
before anywhere. 

It is a peculiar sight to see those thousands of fezes moving 
around in this great throng. There are a lot of hammals who 
bring baggage down to the boat for the passengers; there you 
also find venders of various kinds, who offer their goods to the 
passengers. Some were sitting around, doing nothing ; others 
were busy loading the boat, and their clothes were literally wet 
because of profuse perspiration. 

But at last the boat is ready to depart. Polaeky pulls in 
the anchors, makes a turn in the bay and steams out into the 
Sea of Marmora. Yonder on the shore thousands of people are 
waving their handkerchiefs, hats and red fezes. I sat on the 
deck and observed this remarkable panorama. "What a sight 
it is to look back on this ancient city of Constantine ! Yonder 
is Stambul with the Hagia Sophia and the railroad station ; on 
the other side are Pera, Galata and Scutari, with its numbers 
of minarets pointing skyward. Surely this with its historic 
background is a most overwhelming panorama, which, if you 

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have once seen it, will never be eradicated from your mind. But 
while this view is so majestic, it loses some of its charm when 
you consider the inner life of the city, its dirty, crooked streets 
and its no less dirty immorality. As long as I could I looked 
back upon the city and especially the Hagia Sophia. How can 
a Christian desist from thinking of this mosque and its history ? 
As our boat was speeding along on the waters of Marmora in the 
beautiful sunshine, I sat and wondered why the Lord permitted 
this magnificent temple to be taken from the Christian church, 
and to be thus desecrated by the Mohammedans. While I was 
thus pondering, these words resounded in my soul: "Whosoever 
hath not from him shall be taken away even that which he 
hath" (Matt. 13:12). The reader will remember that the Chris- 
tian world, at the time when the Mohammedans spread their 
dark veil over the world, was ensnared in the fetters of super- 
stition and dead orthodoxy. The Christian world had lost its 
life-power and no doubt a good many thought that there was 
no harm in changing faith with the Mohammedans. Even this 
thought is now, to a certain extent, going through the world 
and is finding some adherents. The Lord has sent a solemn word 
of warning to His church in all times. The Master said to the 
angel in the church of Ephesus : ' ' I shall remove the candlestick 
from its place, unless you repent" (Rev. 2:5). 

The people in these countries are now in the darkness of 
the night from a spiritual point of view, and grope in darkness 
morally and religiously. Here are object lessons for us in these 
times, and here we have a solemn warning that unless we make 
proper use of our God-given privileges, we shall lose them, and 
they shall be given to others who know how to make proper use 
of them. This is a fundamental law in the kingdom of God: 
Use the grace that God has given you in a proper way, and if 
you do not do so, He will take it away from you. If you wish 



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to have an example of the application of this law, go to the 
Orient, and you can see it clearly everywhere. 

As I was meditating on these questions, the city of Constan- 
tinople vanished below the waves of the Marmora, and our boat 
was making good speed to the other end of the sea. Many of the 
passengers were sitting on the deck in the hot sunshine. Now 
and then the Asiatic shores on the left side of the boat vanished 
from our sight. Here and there rocky cliffs stuck their tops 
over the surface of the sea. They are the Prince Islands. To 
the right of us we see land all the time. The coast is that of 
ancient Thrace. It seemed to be a barren and desolate country. 
Under the Turkish scepter you cannot expect that the poverty- 
stricken people should be able to develop and assume an aspect 
of prosperity. Poor people that must live under such a govern- 
ment ! 

But as we go along let us remind ourselves that we are 
sailing on the Propontis of the ancient world. It was a very 
pleasant journey, and no storms were now tossing our vessel. 
To the right of us we see the place where the ancient Athyra 
was located. Here we observe some trees on the hills around 
about, and yet the vicinity further off looks so naked and desolate. 
In the background you find parts of an old bridge, over which 
the ancient Egnantia passed into Thrace and Macedonia. 
This old road extended along the coast to Silinvri. Here was the 
old Selymbria, where some parts of old Byzantine fortresses stuck 
up their heads from the lonely hills. A little further on we pass 
a promontory, in the neighborhood of which lies the island of 
Marmora, the greatest island in this sea. We are going a little 
closer to the shore, and we come to the western end of Marmora. 
The Via Egnantia stretches further inland and we can see noth- 
ing of it. 



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This ancient highway had a great significance for the Roman 
Empire. Along these roads the soldiers of the emperor would 
carry the Roman eagles to the various parts of the empire, where 
they would maintain order and discipline. The reader is familiar 
with the significance of these roads in the spread of the Christian 
religion. These roads served as a kind of artery for the great 
empire. Along these roads the merchants were carrying their 
merchandise to distant lands, and along these same roads the 
Apostles would speed along with the great message of peace 
and joy for a lost and condemned world. It is very strange that 
the ungodly and the wicked must in their way help, even against 
their will, to bring the message onward in the world. 

On the boat I made the acquaintance of a Greek, whose 
name was Georgis Theodorides, a merchant from Constantinople. 
He spoke French very well and we became quite friendly. 

This man gave me some information about Constantinople 
and its government, and how the Turks are unfair in their treat- 
ment of other people who live in the city. He said that there 
are 400,000 Turks in the city, 300,000 Greeks, 150,000 Arme- 
nians, 50,000 Jews, 50,000 Europeans and 50,000 of other nation- 
alities, but in the city council there are 6 Turks, 2 Greeks, 2 
Armenians and 1 Jew. Mr. Theodorides was not pleased with 
this "stepmotherly" treatment of the Greeks. 

Conversing about these things, we went into the Dar- 
danelles ; and, as we steamed into this sound, we had on the right 
Gallipoli. The sea is about two miles wide at this place. The 
city, whose old name was Kallipolis — which name signifies "beau- 
tiful city" — is located on a very beautiful place on the shore 
of the sea. It contains about 16,000 inhabitants. In 1357 A. D. 
it fell into the hands of the Turks. 

Formerly this city carried on a very lively trade, but under 
the scepter of the Sultan it does practically nothing to keep up 

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this trade with other countries. The city looks very dingy 
within and has the mark of poverty and misery. On the opposite 
side, or the Asiatic shore, is located the little town of Lapsaki. 
According to the ancient sages here was the seat of an unchaste 
cult, and it was here that Priapus was born of Aphrodite. 

We are now going through the Dardanelles, the Hellespont 
of the ancient world, a sound less than a mile wide in certain 
places. This strait separates Chersonesos from Asia Minor. 
The shores are quite high and beautiful. Small brooks run down 
the banks here and there. According to the old sages this sound 
received its name in the following way. The King of Boeotia, 
Athamus, wished to do away with his two sons, Phrixus and 
Helle, whom he had begotten through his rejected queen, Nephele. 
The two sons fled and the last-named drowned while he fled over 
the sea on a ram with a golden skin. Because of this the sound 
is called Hellespont. The other son came to Mingrelia and 
stayed there with the king, Chalchis, and this king took very 
good care of the skin. Now the heroes of Greece, wishing to 
recover the skin, undertook an expedition; and because of the 
name of the ship in which they sailed, it is called the Argonautic 
expedition. 

The sound is now called the Dardanelles, because of the 
city located on the Asiatic side. The sages tell us that Dardanos 
came from the island of Samothrace to Troad, and that he 
founded a kingdom that existed before Troy. 

At 10 P. M. we passed Ak-Baschi-Liman, a bay that turns 
into Chersonesos. From the Asiatic side we saw a promontory 
jutting out into the Dardanelles, by the name Nagara. This is 
the place where Xerxes made a bridge over the Dardanelles in 
480 B. C, when he came on his unfortunate expedition to con- 
quer the Greeks. It was between Sestos and Abydos that this 
great pontoon bridge was built. According to the measurements, 



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the sound is at this place about 4.050 feet across. It is the 
Heptastadion of the ancient world. We have read how the 
mighty King of Persia had decided to crush the mighty King of 
Greece, and how he gathered an army of 2,317.000 soldiers. This 
number is. perhaps, too large, and if we say that his army con- 
sisted of 900.000. we are nearer the correct number. 

When the bridge was ready for the second time — the reader 
will recall that his first bridge was torn to pieces by a storm, 
and that he then caused the soldiers to whip the billows as a 
punishment for their madness — he gave the command that his 
army should pass over, having first offered prayers to his gods. 
When the rays of the rising sun touched the bridge, the march 
began, and for seven days and seven nights this march continued 
to the European shore. The world never saw such an army 
before. 

There is a great deal of romance connected with the Dar- 
danelles. Every night Leander swam across from Abydos to 
Sestos to call on his beloved Hero, the priestess of Aphrodite 
in that city. He was run over by a boat and was drowned. It 
is perhaps known how Lord Byron swam across between these 
two places — a daring feat. 

While we passed along this historic ground, the moon was 
shining. The moonlight in the Orient is very bright, much 
brighter than in the Occident. I shall never forget this inter- 
esting evening. My friend Theodorides sat with me on deck, 
until it was very late, and Ave conversed about the happenings on 
this sound. Just as Ave passed the fortress Kalei-Sultanije, two 
cannon shots were fired, and this was a sign that all was clear 
for our passage. This fort is called by the Europeans, the Dar- 
danelles. A little after 10 P. M. our steamer passed into the 
Aegean Sea, making a turn to the left in a southwesterly direc- 
tion. On the point of Chersonesos is a little town by the name 

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of Sed-Ul--Bahr-Kalessi. A lighthouse shone on the shore as 
we passed by. 

Do yon wonder that I am awake and on the deck watching 
at this late hour ? You must remember that we are about to pass 
into the territory of which the Bible speaks, and it is for this 
reason that I am standing on the deck with the Bible in my 
hand. I stood there until the midnight hour, watching the 
various islands round about us as we sailed along. 

When I looked out over the Aegean Sea as we emerged from 
the Dardanelles, we had to the left a promontory where the River 
Skamander enters into the sound. Along this river is the Asiatic 
plain. Homer calls this plain Asia. It extends southward to 
the mountain, Bas Dagh, or Mt. Ida, of ancient times. Along 
the river, about three miles from the land, lies Hissarlik (Castle 
Place). Here are a lot of ruins, and according to latest investi- 
gations, the old Troja was located here. Not only the city, but 
the whole province was called Troad. On this plain ancient Troy 
was located, with its renowned fortress, Illion. On this plain 
the Greeks were lying when they beleaguered the city and cap- 
tured it. 

While our steamer was going out of the Dardanelles into 
the sea, we noticed to the left of the shore two hills, where it is 
said that the ashes of Achilles and Patrocles are buried. As we 
came out of the sound, our boat kept close to the European side, 
because of the strong current at this place. It is more dangerous 
to go near the Asiatic shore. Our boat passed by a point called 
Jenischehr, the Sigeion of the ancients. It is claimed that 
Hercules and his heroes landed on this point, and here on the 
plain the hordes of Xerxes sallied forth to subdue the Greeks. 

In the year 334 B. C. Alexander of Macedonia landed on this j 
coast, as he went out on his great expedition to conquer Asia. 
When Alexander drew near the grave of Achilles his martial j 

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enthusiasm was kindled and, thinking of his heroic ancestors, 
he determined to lay the whole world at his feet; and with this 
thought he marched into Asia. As we now steam away in a 
southwesterly direction and leave the coast, we see some wind- 
mills in the distance. Looking to the right we see the island of 
Imbros and behind this the island of Samoathrace is barely 
visible in the distance. 

We are now in territory spoken of in the Bible. Saint Paul 
sailed by here in these waters from Troas to Macedonia in the 
year 52 A. D. Setting out on his second missionary journey 
from Antioch and passing through Asia Minor, he came to 
Troas. It is the wonderful missionary to the Gentiles who is 
passing by at this place, carrying his great message into another 
continent. Concerning his journey in these sections he writes: 
"Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of 
Galatia and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the 
word in Asia, after they were come to Mysia, they essayed to 
go into Bithynia; but the Spirit suffered them not and they 
passed by Mysia and came down to Troas and a vision appeared 
to Paul in the night ; there stood a man of Macedonia, and pray- 
ing him, saying, come over into Macedonia and help us. And 
after he had seen the vision, immediately he endeavored to go 
into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called 
us to preach the gospel unto them. Therefore loosing from 
Troas we came with a straight course to Samothrace and the 
next day to Neapolis; and from thence to Philippi, which is 
the chief city of that part of Macedonia, and a colony; and we 
were in the city abiding certain days" (Acts 16:8-12). 

It was at Troas, then, that he received his vision and in view 
of this he went to the new world to proclaim the excellent doc- 
trine of his Redeemer among the benighted heathens as well as 
among the Jews. 



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Paul was not alone on this his first journey into Europe. 
Luke, Silas and Timothy were with him. They were on their 
way to Macedonia and hence he passed along these waters. When 
Paul returned from his third missionary journey, about 58 A. D., 
he passed through through Macedonia, and landed here at Troas, 
remaining here for several days. Some of his fellow-laborers, 
who had been with him in Greece, went directly over the Aegean 
Sea and waited for him here at Troas (Acts 20 :4-6) . 

While on the way to Macedonia, after having been in 
Ephesus for the space of three years, he says: "Furthermore, 
when I came to Troas to preach Christ's gospel and a door was 
opened unto me of the Lord, I had no rest in my spirit, because 
I found not Titus my brother ; but taking my leave of them, I 
went from thence into Macedonia" (II Cor. 2:12-13). 

You can still see traces of the harbor, whence Paul sailed 
away into Macedonia. Its modern or Turkish name is Eski- 
Stambul, and there are a lot of ruins not far from the shore. 
It was about 11 P. M. when our steamer passed these historical 
places. Deeply interested in the surroundings, which I could 
see quite clearly in the bright moonlight which threw its weird 
radiance over the entire vicinity, and with the Bible in my hand, 
I sat on the deck until about 12 o'clock. Here I read the inter- 
esting story in the Acts by Saint Luke about the journey of 
these men in these waters. I then went to my cabin and tried 
to sleep this memorable night, a night which I shall never forget. 
Before long the boat passed the island of Tenedos, to the left 
and a little later we sighted the island of Limnos. We are now in 
the Aegean Sea, and we have islands all around us. Think of 
all the expeditions that have passed over this sea in the past 
centuries ! 

The boat was the very best and was swaying but little during 
the night. Early in the morning I was on the deck to find out 



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where we were located, and then we saw in the far west the 
island of Skyros, sticking its treeless head out of the water, 
and further ahead was the island of Negropont. It was Sunday, 
the 29th of August. The day was very beautiful and warm. 
There was a certain haze over the face of the deep, and we 
could not see far. A little later this haze passed away. Today 
we are going to land in Greece, a classic country. We pass 
through the Oro Canal, with the island of Andros to the left 
and Negropont to the right. This is the largest of the Grecian 
islands, and has a population of about 100,000. 

These islands looked naked and rocky, and it was a question 
to me how the people could make a living in such a territory. 
Here and there we see orchards and villages along the shores. 
Now we come to a group of islands called the Cyclades. The 
steamer passes between the mainland and the island of Keos to 
the left. Along the coast is a long island called Helena or Ma- 
cronesia, or the large island. This island is said to have received 
its name from the circumstance that Helena, the queen, who 
was carried away to Troy, landed here either on her way to Troy 
or on her return from that city. 

When we came to the southern end of this island, we saw 
on the height of the mainland on the point Sunion or Kolonnas, 
the ruins of a Poseidon temple. According to a description, 
recently discovered, this temple was built 413 B. C, consequently 
during the Peloponnesian War. Along the route, which we now 
traversed, the Persian fleet sailed when it came to the Bay of 
Salamis in 480 B. C. Then the Battle of Salamis was fought 
in the bay under the leadership of Themistocles, and a glorious 
victory was won. 

While our boat ran into the bay we saw Salamis clearly, 
quite near by to the left. On the mainland is still shown the 
elevated place where Xerxes stood on his throne and saw how 



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the valiant Greeks cut to pieces the great fleet of the Persians. 
It was intensely interesting to see this bay and the surroundings 
as we entered the harbor of Piraeus. While we were several 
miles out in the Aegina Bay we saw the Acropolis on the Attic 
plain towards the north. Our boat stopped in the bay and 
anchored there. About fifty boats gathered around us, and 
their occupants wished to row us ashore to the hotels, either at 
Piraeus or at Athens. . In every boat there is a flag, with the 
name of the hotel which the boat represents. We were taken 
ashore at Piraeus, where we walk on classical ground for the 
first time. In a few minutes we are at the electric station, and 
a fast train brings us over the plain to Athens. We register at 
the Grand Hotel, near the park where the Royal Castle is lo- 
cated. My friend Theodorides and I take a room together in 
this hotel. We are at the capital of the Greeks, or the Hellenes. 



[104] 



Chapter VI 
IN ATHENS AND CORINTH 

ON classic ground ! What a thought for the student ! Hav- 
ing had dinner and rested a little, I resolved to go to 
Areopagus. I went through the old town and came to Areopa- 
gus at 5.05 P. M. This hill is about 345 feet above the level 
of the sea and is located a little to the northwest from the Acro- 
polis and slopes a little to the west. At the southeast side 
there is a stair with sixteen steps, hewn in the solid rock. No 
doubt the Greeks used to go up on this stair, and in all prob- 
ability this stair was used when the Greeks brought Paul up 
on the Areopagus or Mars Hill. I felt a chill pass through my 
body, as I came up on this hill and considered that I was on 
such historic ground. I sat down and read the speech of Saint 
Paul, which he delivered before the heathen Greeks in the year 
of our Lord 52. It was at Athens that he met the Epicurean 
and Stoic philosophers and some of them said, "What will this 
babbler say ? ' ' Others said, ' ' He seemed to be a setter forth of 
strange gods, because he preached unto them Jesus and the 
resurrection " (Acts 17:18). They took him and brought him 
to Areopagus and there he delivered his excellent speech. . Paul 
did not preach in vain. It is true that some mocked when they 
heard him preach of the resurrection of the dead ; but when he 
departed from them, certain men clave to him, among which 
were Dionysus, who later is called the Areopagite, a woman 
named Damaris, and others with them. Thus it was not in 
vain to sow the good seed. 



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This hill has its historical interest for us as Christians, but 
it has its significance and interest also from a purely classical 
point of view. It is called Mars' hill (Areopagus), because the 
war-god Mars, according to the ancient mythology, was tried 
on this hill for having committed murder. A court, called 
Areopagus, held its sessions here during the night. Court 
proceedings were held during the night, and under the open 
sky, so that the breath of the criminals would not contaminate 
,others. 

Questions regarding morality and religion were considered 
by this court. It was this court that condemned Socrates to 
death, and we see that this court had the same function in the 
time of Paul. Here and there on this hill you see the solid 
rock cut even into squares, rectangles and parallelograms. Per- 
haps it was on this very spot that the court held its sessions? 

From Mars ' hill you have an excellent view over the Attic 
plain. As you look to the north over the city, it appears as if 
it had been built yesterday. The houses are, nearly all, white 
and clean. East of Areopagus is the Acropolis; only a little 
distance, and to the northeast is Lycabettos, quite a high hill. 
Yonder in the distance to the northeast you see Pentelicon, and 
to the west the mountain range Aegalios. 

Here on Mars' hill I sat a long time meditating and one 
drama after another passed in review before my mind. As I 
returned to the hotel, I determined to go via Acropolis, al- 
though it was somewhat late. I had been alone on Areopagus 
with my Bible and now I went alone to the top of Acropolis. 
At the upper end of the stair on the west side there were some 
houses and a kind of portal, which they were repairing at this 
time. On the Acropolis I found an American, who went about 
with the Bsedecker in his hand. I asked him if he had been on 
the Areopagus, and he answered, " There is nothing to see." I 



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answered, "It all depends upon what you are interested in. As 
for my part I saw a great deal there." 

There are many who are interested in the historical only, 
but as soon as it pertains to the religious and spiritual ques- 
tions, they lose interest and think they know all they need to 
know. Interested in the Acropolis, but not in the Areopagus, 
where one of the greatest sons of the race has proclaimed the 
gospel of salvation ! Strange, indeed ! 

At last we are on the Acropolis and walk about among its 
ruins. Think of the beautiful buildings that once stood here 
and were the beauty of ancient Hellas ! On the south side of 
the Acropolis, at the middle of the top lies Parthenon, the most 
renowned building in Athens. 

It is well known that in ancient times fortresses were built 
on high hills. The cities grew in the course of time down the 
hillsides and on the plain near by. This was done in order 
that the people in time of danger might have access to the for- 
tress, where they could defend themselves. Temples were built 
on the high hills where the fortress had been, to the honor of 
the gods and the goddesses. The Acropolis was called in view 
of this, ''The city of the gods." There were many temples on 
this hill, built to the honor of the gods, but there was no temple in 
Greece that could be compared with the Parthenon. It was the 
masterpiece of Grecian architecture. It was the work of Phidias 
that gave this sanctuary such a glory, and inside of it there 
were many works of the sculptor. 

During the course of time this building has served as a 
heathen temple, as a Christian church, and as a Mohammedan 
mosque. In 1687 it was used as a storehouse for powder, dur- 
ing the war of the Turks with the Venetians. It was during 
this war that this building was struck by a cannon ball with 
the consequence that this masterpiece of architecture was 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



ruined. Many of the pillars on the south side were knocked 
to pieces. At present they are trying to reconstruct it. 

Here you see the past glory of Greece in ruins. At the 
southeast corner we find the Dionysian theatre. There you see 
it wide open with its seats and standing room for the thou- 
sands who used to come here. 

Now, my dear reader, do you know anything of the theatre 
in those days ? If you do, you know what influence it exerted 
on the social life at that time. Listen to a statement of Seneca, 
a man who lived in the time of the Apostles, 1 1 One will hardly 
leave the theatre without having become more vain and volup- 
tuous. Nothing is so injurious to good morals as to see a play." 
Flavius Josephus, the Jewish historian, said, when Herod in- 
troduced theatrical shows in Jerusalem, that it "tended to 
corrupt the morals of the Jewish nation, to bring the people 
into love with pagan idolatry, and to throw contempt on the 
law of Moses." 

And what shall we say of the theatre in our own time? Is 
it any better? Is the influence for good or for bad? All you 
need to do is to study the theatre of the present day, and you 
can form your own idea. There is the moving picture show. 
Do you know, that about 70 percent of the pictures shown at 
these theatres today,are obscene and immoral? And yet you 
think that they exert no influence for the bad? Listen to the 
editor of the Outlook, "The stage has been given over to a 
dreary monotony of seduction and adultery. Even the tough- 
ened taste of the many who want to be amused and are in- 
different to the morality of the means of entertainment, has 
revolted against the entire surrender of the stage to these re- 
volting plots. Vulgarity and impurity have reigned supreme. ' ' 
Lit. Digest, May 4th, 1895. 



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An actor in Texas is quoted as saying, "It was hard for me 
to bury my six daughters, but rather than let my two sons go 
upon the stage, I would bury them also." These are solemn 
words, and words from lips that knew by experience what the 
theatre stands for. And yet people flock by the thousands to 
the theatre and see no wrong in it. 0, tempora, o, mores ! 
What can you testify as to the morals of the present day 
theatre and the influence it gives ? Truly we find that it is not 
an institution for the good of the nation. How can it be ? 

To the southwest of the Acropolis is a lower hill called 
Museon. This hill is literally covered with ruins. On its 
northern slope, a little to the southwest of the Acropolis, is 
what is called Nymph Hill. Here is Pnj^x. Here is a circular 
excavation in the hill, and it reminds us of a theatre. Here the 
people of Athens used to gather and listen to their great 
orators. Here is a pulpit ; and it is claimed that Pericles and 
Demosthenes used to stand by this pulpit and speak to the peo- 
ple. A little to the southeast from this theatre-like excava- 
tion is the prison of Socrates, cut out in the hill. It is not cer- 
tain that this is the place, even if tradition points to this hollow 
in the hill. It must have been somewhere in this vicinity that 
he was constrained to drink the death-bringing hemlock, that 
fatal morning. The reader is, perhaps, familiar with the life 
of Socrates and the closing words of that philosopher before 
he courageously drank the fatal cup. If you know nothing 
of this man, you had better look him up. It is worth while. 
Good was the man, indeed, who could pray, "Give me the 
interior beauty of the soul." No wonder Erasmus exclaimed, 
"When I read something of this sort concerning such men, I 
can hardly refrain from saying, 'Sancte Socrate, ora pro 
nobis.' " How grand were his closing words, "It is now time 
that we depart, I to die, and you to live, but which has the bet- 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



ter destiny is unknown to all but God." Let me rather die as 
a Socrates than as an Immanuel Kant, a man in our own times, 
almost, and who in the hour of death did not know whither he 
was going. 

To the northwest of Areopagus lies the temple of Theseion, 
which was built later than the Parthenon and dedicated to the 
honor of Hephaistos and Athena. This temple has served as a 
heathen temple, as a. Christian church, and as a Mohammedan 
Mosque. Later it has also served as a museum. During the 
Greek war of rebellion it served as a hospital. It is very well 
preserved. I went round about this structure several times, 
but could not get into it as I knew not where to secure a key. 

To the north of the Acropolis is the old city. Archeological 
societies have carried on great excavations here, and as a con- 
sequence of these excavations, you can now walk on the same 
streets that Saint Paul used to walk on. Here are the open 
streets, buildings, pillars, fountains, statues and relics of all 
kinds, too numerous to mention. In the old town the streets 
are very crooked and the houses are very ugly and low. Here 
is the agora, where the Apostle Paul was walking along, when 
the Grecian philosophers took hold of him and wished to hear 
something new. But let us now leave the old city and go to 
the new. The two are joined together and you cannot see any 
dividing line. 

One of the most prominent buildings in Athens is the 
University. Before this building stand two statues. The one 
to the left represents the poet Rhigas, who was murdered by 
the Turks in 1897, and the other, on the opposite side, repre- 
sents the Greek patriarch in Constantinople, Georgios, who 
was murdered at Easter, 1821, by a Turkish mob, and later 
hanged on the church door. The university building is very 
beautiful. It was built by the Danish architect Hansen. In 



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1837, this institution threw open its doors to the students of 
Hellas and other countries. It follows the same plan as the 
universities of Europe. There are now about 2,300 students 
attending this institution of learning, and the attendance is on 
the increase. Near by this university building is the Academy 
of Sciences, the most substantial building in the city of Athens. 
From here we go to the National Museum. Greece has done 
wonders during the short time she has been free from the tyran- 
nical yoke of Turkey. The Museum proves what Greece has 
done. 

It was a terrific struggle, when the Greeks fought them- 
selves free from the Turkish scepter. We rejoice to know that 
this country is developing more and more. It has, no doubt, 
a great future. 

September 1st I got up early in the morning to prepare for 
a journey to Corinth. I went to the Peloponnesian railroad 
station, which is located in the northwestern part of the city, 
on the Attic plain. I bought a second class ticket, and got into 
the car, which was well filled. The railroad passes along the 
coast, quite near Aegina bay. Before we came to Kalamaki, 
we had a very beautiful sight over the bay. Yonder on the 
other side was Cenehrea, located on the Saronic gulf. We 
could see the place quite well. There are only ruins now. In 
this town the deaconess Phebe lived. When Paul, during his 
stay at Corinth on his third missionary journey, wrote his let- 
ter to the Romans, this lady took the letter to the church at 
Rome. He says, "I commend unto you Phebe, our sister, who 
is a servant of the church, which is at Cenehrea, that ye receive 
her in the Lord" (Rom. 16:1). 

Paul says of her that she has been "a succorer of many 
and of myself also" (Rom. 16:2). Paul entrusted this dea- 

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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



coness with a great responsiblity, when he sent her to Home 
with this, the greatest epistle of the Bible. 

Ere long our train passes over the canal, which has been 
dug between the Corinthian bay and the bay of Aegina. At a 
great distance, before we come to New Corinth, we see the 
Acropolis of Corinth or Acrocorinth, a high hill, something 
like the Acropolis at Athens. Here we find again, how the 
ancient people, to protect themselves, built their fortresses on 
high hills and later on extended the city on the plain beneath. 

At 10 :30 A. M. I arrived at New Corinth and ate my break- 
fast in a restaurant. I then secured a Greek to take me to Old 
Corinth. He had a cart with large wheels and he drove like 
Jehu. Wthin forty-five minutes we were at Old Corinth. Ex- 
cavations have been carried on here by Americans to such an 
extent, that you can now walk here as in Athens on the old 
streets, on the very stones that Paul used to travel on. You can 
actually see how the town looked in the time of our Saviour. In 
the excavated section there are parts of buildings, waterworks, 
and broken pillars. Here were the water reservoirs of the old 
city and the fountain Glyke. The water, which was running 
into it from a spring further up, was very warm and did not 
quench my thirst. It was a hot day. Having seen what there 
is to be seen, I sat down on an old ruin and thought of the 
vanity of all things. There is one thing that will remain and 
that is the word of the living God. 

Paul, the great missionary of the Gentiles, came to this 
city for the first time in the year 52 A. D. Here he founded a 
church; and strange it was that he could do so here in this 
licentious and immoral city, while this was an impossibility in 
the polished and educated Athens. But this was in accord 
with the dictum of the Master, when he said, "Publicans and 
harlots go into the kingdom of God before you" (Matt. 

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21:31). It is very difficult to make the wise in this world fol- 
lowers of the lowly Nazarene, because His teaching is foolish- 
ness to the wise. 

Here in Corinth he met the Jew Aquilla and his wife 
Priscilla. They were tentmakers by trade and as Paul had the 
same occupation, he joined them for some time. In the syna- 
gogue he spoke to the Jews and on the streets to the 
Gentiles. But the Jews took offence at his teachings, 
and could not hear the story of the cross. And the 
heathens did not take to it much more kindly. Even 
Seneca said that it was not proper to speak of the 
cross in educated society. But when the Jews did not wish 
to receive him, he went to the Gentiles and many of them did 
receive his message. Paul preached here for the space of one 
year and six months, strengthening the church of Christ. The 
church of Paul at Corinth had many trials. It was not an easy 
matter for the people to separate themselves from the heathen 
practices. The church was endangered by inner strife and 
sins and was also in danger of misusing the Lord's supper. It 
was a wonder that the church did survive. 

While Paul was at Ephesus, on his third missionary jour- 
ney, he wrote his second letter to the church at Corinth. It is 
the first letter, to be sure, of those that are extant, but one is 
lost, according to 1 Cor. 5 :9. When he arrived in Macedonia, 
he wrote his third letter to this church. In this letter he gives 
them instructions as to how they should behave as members of 
the church of Christ. 

Here on the ruin of the old city lies a dingy little village 
and this is all that is left above ground of Old Corinth. There 
are about 200 inhabitants in this village and they live in small 
huts where poverty stares you in the face on all sides. My 
driver told me that there were six churches in this village. 



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I saw these church-buildings and they were small and miser- 
able looking, to be sure. Two of them had no window and 
looked as though they might tumble over any time. My driver 
gave me the names of these churches or congregations. They 
are: St. Paul, St. Johns, St. Paraskevos, St. Annas, St. Argy- 
rios and St. Donasios. There will be only a few members for 
teach of these churches in such a little town. A cross on the 
roof signified that they were churches. To me it was a beauti- 
ful thought that there are still Christian churches in this place, 
where the gospel of Christ was preached in the early centuries. 

Being very tired because of my wanderings in these ruins, 
we started on our way back to the New Corinth. Then we 
passed by an amphitheatre, which is to the right of the road, 
and a building, called the Bathhouse of Aphrodite, and many 
other buildings and ruins. The view from Acrocorinth is very 
grand. To the north is the gulf of Corinth, and on the other 
side is the Parnassos Mountain and others, which look very 
blue in the distance. 

It would, indeed, be a very interesting study to find out 
the moral condition of this city at the time when the man from 
Tarsus came in through its gates. It was a saying in the an- 
cient world that the Corinthians lived a very licentious life and 
corintizein came to signify a life in sin and degradation. Here 
was the seat of Venus' worship, which was attended with a 
licentiousness and debauchery that could not very will be sur- 
passed. 

As I was returning from New Corinth I saw a number of 
vineyards containing beautiful grapes. I bought some for 10 
lepta and got a great quantity, and such grapes I had never 
seen before. I assure you they did taste well. Very soon I 
came back to the New Corinth. Here I paid my driver, giving 
him also some bakschisch, for which he was well pleased. I 



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determined to return to Athens that very evening ; and so I did. 
New Corinth is a town of about 5,500 inhabitants and has a 
very desirable location at the end of the bay of Corinth. While 
the train was speeding back to Athens, I looked back and 
found that the Acrocorinth was visible, when the island of 
Salamis came in sight in yonder bay. 

On my return I bought a ticket for Smyrna and then I 
went to see the Turkish consul. By landing at Athens I had 
gone outside the Turkish boundaries, and as I was about to re- 
turn to Turkish territory, I had to have my passport signed 
by him. If I did not do that, I might get into trouble in 
Smyrna. It cost me five drachmas or a dollar. 

In the afternoon I had plenty of time to wander about and 
see the town and so I did. Piraeus is located partly on a pen- 
insula and partly on the mainland. It has had remarkable 
growth. It looks as though it has a promising future. At 
4:30 P. M. I secured a small row boat, and had a man take me 
out to the steamer in the bay. The name of the steamer was 
"Bayern." With this boat I went to Smyrna in Asia Minor. 
The boat did not depart before late in the evening, but I went 
on board and on the deck I had a splendid view of the vicinity. 

The Greeks had given me a very good impression, and I 
do not blame Lord Byron of England for helping them to se- 
cure their liberty from the Turkish servitude, even if he had 
to pay for it very dearly. During my travels in Greece I did 
not see a single drunken man. But they seemed to have the 
same trait that their forefathers had in the time of Paul : — they 
wished to hear something new, and every evening they came 
together in great crowds in the parks, to drink coffee, read 
papers and discuss the questions of the day. Thus they kept 
on till very late in the night. The Greeks are very industrious 
and courageous, and if they are permitted to develop along 



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various lines, they will, no doubt, have a bright future. And 
they are worthy of it, to be sure. 

While I was sitting there on the deck, two passenger steam- 
ers came into the bay and at once there was life and activity. The 
small boats swarm around like flies and wish to secure pas- 
sengers for their various hotels. The sun is sinking on the 
other side of the island of Salamis, a balmy breeze is blowing 
over the waters and the land. Very attractive, newly built 
houses are grouped on the shore, and the climate reminds me 
that I am in a southern country. Late in the evening our 
"Bayern" moves out of the bay and steams out on the Aegean 
Sea. I see the last glimmerings of the lights at Athens and 
Piraeus. I am on the way to the Orient and every hour brings 
me closer to the goal of my journey — the Land of Promise. 

It was very warm and I slept well on the deck under the 
clear sky. The third of September as I awoke at half past five in 
the morning I saw how the sun rolled its red ball out of the 
sea. To the left we had then the little island Psara, 
and to the right the island of Kios. Further on I see a 
blue strip of land. It is the mainland of Asia Minor. Our boat 
turns and proceeds in a more easterly direction. To the left 
we saw Lesbos and Mitylene. This island is rocky and reminds 
us very much of Greece. There are no trees, only mountains 
and deep valleys. Here among these islands the apostle Paul 
sailed on, as he was busy trying to bring the great message to 
the people in these regions. 

As we sail along these waters the ocean is very still and a 
light east wind greets us from the city of Smyrna in yonder 
bay. The day is very clear and nothing more can be desired in 
that way. Our boat is heading straight into the bay of Smyrna. 
The greater part of the city lies very low, by the bay, and we 
can see very little of it. At half past ten o'clock our "Bayern" 



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is_ anchoring in the bay outside the city. Before the boat has 
stopped, representatives from various hotels come aboard and 
try all they can to secure passengers for their respective hotels, 
and you should have heard the noise and the turmoil they made. 
These runners fought valiantly to get hold of our baggage. We 
came through the gate and were on the wharf at Smyrna. I am 
again under the scepter of the Sultan. 



[117] 



Chapter VII 



IN SMYRNA AND EPHESUS 

SMYRNA is one of the largest cities of Asia Minor. My first 
duty was to find a hotel. Even here a Jew came and of- 
fered his services, so that I might get a good hotel. He took 
me to a nearby hotel and I registered with a view of staying 
there while I was in that city, but the place did not suit me. 

In the afternoon I found my way to the American Consul. 
He lived in the neighborhood of the railroad station. When I 
saw the American Eagle over the residence of the Consul, I 
felt as though I had received a greeting from my home. The 
name of the Consul is Ernest L. Harris, and he is a gentleman 
every inch. He offered to help me in every way he could and 
whenever I called upon him to do so. I told him of my plans 
to see Ephesus, and he gave me some helpful points. When I 
inquired whether there would be any danger to go to Ephesus 
and see the ruins, he said that under the present circumstances 
there would be no danger whatever. But he advised me to 
secure from the authorities a tesquere, i. e., an inland pass 
which travelers must secure, when they travel in the country. 
The pass which I secured from the Secretary of the State at 
Washington, would only help me to land at the port towns in 
the Turkish dominion. 

Now, as to the city of Smyrna. It is located on the bay of 
Smyrna. There are 200,000 inhabitants in this metropolis of 
Asia Minor, and most of them are Greeks and speak the Greek 
language, but many other languages are spoken here in Smyrna. 



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The city is divided as follows : The Turkish, Jewish, Greek and 
the Frankish, in the latter of which the following' nationalities 
are found: French, German, English, and American. 

For several reasons my hotel did not satisfy me. My room 
was located right next to the street and because of the noise 
I could not sleep. The Turks are more noisy than any other 
people that I know of. I awoke early in the morning and 
moved to hotel Leonidas and then I went to Ephesus. The 
railroad coaches were small and dirty beyond description, and 
it was no pleasure to sit among the Turks on such a hot day 
and in the dirty car. The railroad passes along the western 
part of Asia Minor and then goes out east through Syria. The 
road was built by Englishmen. Along the road we see beauti- 
ful orchards and plantations. Then we pass over an old 
caravan bridge and through a valley called Meles. After that 
we go by a little town, Pudja, and from here the grade is a little 
steep and the train goes very slowly. Then we come to a 
plateau, and to the east and west of us there are quite high 
mountains. This plain was, without doubt, a sea bottom once 
upon a time. The soil is very rich and yields good crops. A 
European sat with me in the car — he was in the service of the 
government — and as he looked out over the plain he said, "It 
is too bad that such excellent soil should belong to such a good- 
for-nothing people." Think of the crops that could be gathered 
in here, if the soil were properly tilled ! 

At the stations we see half -naked children running about 
and selling water to the passengers for a metelik. But if they 
get more, so much the better. Having passed over the plateau, 
we come into a narrow valley where high mountains are lined 
up on both sides. As we came through this narrow pass, we 
entered into a more open space with a better view to the right. 
The locomotive blew the whistle and as we got off the train, 



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we read Ajasuluk on the station's wall. Here is the old Ephe- 
sus. The Turks have made up this word from Hagios and 
Theologos or Holy Theologue. They call Ephesus Theologos 
from the Apostle John, who lived a number of years here to- 
wards the end of his life. There are about 300 inhabitants in 
the village and it is located to the east of the plain on which 
ancient Ephesus was built. This plain extends to the west, 
where the Aegean sea is seen. I went to the hotel. The prop- 
rietor was a Greek, but he spoke German, English, French 
and his own language with ease. He was a very pleasant man. 

Having rested at the hotel, I walked out to the ruins on 
the caravan road. Along this road the camels were feeding and 
shepherds were tending their flocks. At the station you see 
old pillars which belong to an old aqueduct, which is not in 
use now. This duct brought water from the mountains in the 
east. To the northwest of Ajasaluk is a bridge. You see many 
ruins on it and also along the caravan road. The ruins on the 
hill to the northwest of the station are supposed to belong to 
the church of the " angel at Ephesus" to whom the risen Lord 
wrote this remarkable letter, which we find in the book of 
Revelation. It is a question, though, whether these church 
ruins date from that time. One thing is sure and that is that 
the church was located somewhere in this vicinity. In the 
neighborhood of the ruin stands a church and on two poles 
they have put up a church bell. On the roof of the little church 
is a cross. It was certainly very pleasant to see the cross here 
in ancient Ephesus and a church, even if it is not so very large. 

As you go out to the ruins, you have to the right of the 
road the ruins of the Diana temple. They are about 2260 feet 
from the old city gate. There is an old legend that the wooden 
statue of Diana fell from heaven into a thicket. Here some 
men found it and worshipped it. On this spot a temple was 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



built, which in the course of time was superseded by others 
until the Diana temple was built. It was finished about 370 
before Christ. There was a man by the name Hierostratus, 
who wished to do something to make his name immortal, and 
for this reason he decided to burn the temple, which he did, 
July 31, 356 B. C, the very night when Alexander the Great 
was born. It was rebuilt again about 300 B. C. and must have 
been very beautiful, because it is recorded as one of the seven 
wonders of the world. In the course of time it fell, and the 
ruins were slowly buried under the debris of the ages. Mr. J. 
T. Wood, representing the British Museum, began excavations 
here in 1863, and in 1869, December 29th, he found 20 feet be- 
low the surface of the swamp, the place where the temple had 
stood. There are now extant some of the broken pieces of the 
once beautiful sanctuary. Some of the old pillars were used 
in the old St. Sophia church at Constantinople and the old 
temple has been plundered in many ways, until there are now 
only a few broken pieces of some size in the open place that 
has been excavated. 

But we must hasten onward to the ruins, of which some 
are excavated and some have been left under the ground. 
Having walked quite a distance along the elevated road, lead- 
ing out to the ruins, I turned to the left and was soon among 
the open ruins. They are altogether too great to describe. 
Here is first of all the old theatre. Here it was that the Apostle 
fought with the wild beast. It is a very large theatre, hewn 
out of Mount Pion. I went into it and saw the seats and the 
platform and the marble walls in the front. The rooms in the 
front, where the performers went in between the acts, are very 
well preserved. Here on these seats, (which originally were 
of marble, but the marble slabs in most of the seats have been 
taken away) thousands and thousands have sat, listening and 

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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



observing the wild games, which have been played here. Not 
far from the theatre to the west is the agora or market place. 
It is quite large and once upon a time it must have been very 
inviting and attractive. The streets which are still preserved 
quite well at this place, would indicate this. 

The gymnasium is just a little distance from here. It 
must have been a very large building. In the northeastern part 
of the ruins is the stadium. It is surprisingly well preserved 
and it seemed to me that it could be put into shape with but 
very little expense. The walls are well preserved and you can 
see clearly the space where the competitors were running for 
the laurel that fadeth away. All this is too much to describe 
in this connection. I wished to see this panorama from a higher 
point and so I went up to the top of the hill Pion. I had seen 
the ruins quite well, and noticed a lot of lizards and snakes in 
these ruins and observed how they crept in their holes in the 
walls, when I came near them. I saw a lot of frogs, too, jump- 
ing around on the streets, that were otherwise void and deso- 
late. Here and there I saw some Turks tending their cattle and 
flocks around the ruins a little further away, and I wondered 
whether it was safe to be so near them. I then climbed 
up on the hill so as to get a better view of the whole and to be 
sure I got a very good view on Pion to the southeast of the 
ruins. Yonder in the west I see the Aegean sea, glimmering 
over the woods and hills. In the northern part of the plain 
I see the river Kaystros winding its way down to the sea. And 
right before me to the northeast and north and northwest is the 
plain, where the great city of Ephesus was located. What shall 
I say of this valley, so fruitful in itself, but so neglected that 
it serves now as pasture for the lazy Turks and Arabs in the 
vicinity? 

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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



While I sat alone on this lonely hill, looking over this 
historic vicinity, so rich in memories from bygone days, I 
thought of that valiant man, St. Paul, who in the year 57 A. D. 
came to this place on his return from his second missionary 
journey and proclaimed the gospel of Christ to Jew and Gentile. 
In the Acts 18 :19 we read, that when they (Paul, Aquila and 
Priscilla) had come to Ephesus, he left them there, but he went 
in the synagogue and spoke to the Jews. Here he made a be- 
ginning of his missionary work, which he carried on so power- 
fully in the latter part of his life. 

Paul was a very bold man, who dared to attack the heathen 
stronghold, the seat of Diana worship. On his third missionary 
journey, having passed through the greater part of Asia Minor, 
he stopped here for the space of three years, building on the 
foundation which he had recently laid. 

Here he found some disciples, who were baptized with the 
baptism of John and these he baptized in the name of Jesus 
Christ ; and when he laid his hands on them they received the 
Holy Ghost, spoke with tongues and prophesied (Acts 19:1- 
17). In the synagogue he testified for the space of three years 
with great boldness and afterwards in the school of Tyrannus. 
Great things were done by the hands of St. Paul, but it was 
a hard fight against the powers of heathenism. 

The Greek philosophy had struck deep roots in this place 
also, and after some time this philosophy turned into super- 
stition. Now the gospel came and was the power that could 
overcome even this heathen superstition; and many of those 
who had used curious arts, brought their books together and 
burnt them before all men ; and they counted the price of them 
and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver (Acts 19 :19). 

Now as I pondered on these events here in this city and the 
power of the gospel on the hearts of these heathen people, I 

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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



thought it would be a very blessed thing, if the deluge of books 
that now destroy so many young hearts, those dime novels of 
the low type, would be burnt and truly a cremation day would 
be worth while to get rid of this pest among us. I wonder if 
our parents understand the danger of these novels to the 
hearts of the young in these days. 

But we are still at the ruins of Ephesus and I tried to 
live in the past of this city ; and as I let one act after another 
of the past go before my mind, I wondered what the future of 
this city would have been, had the inhabitants abided by the 
word of God? How would the city have looked now, if the 
citizens had abided by the preserving doctrine of the word of 
God? It did not help the Ephesians at all that they cried, 
"Great is Diana of the Ephesians." The heathen goddess 
could not help them. She fell; and great was the fall of 
her religion. 

Thinking over these things I began to feel very lonesome 
on this hill with nothing but ruins and desolation before me 
on the plain. I opened my Bible and read a chapter therein 
and I was strengthened and encouraged, and went down from 
the hills, passing by ruins of all kinds, aqueducts, dikes and 
walls. The words of the poet came very powerfully to my 
mind, 

"Christ's glory never ceaseth, 
Its glory still increaseth. 
0, blessed is He that came, 
In God the Father's name." 

With these thoughts in my mind I passed by the ruins of 
Diana, its fallen pillars and rubbish and with a certain cheer I 
saw the little church on the distant hill to the northeast. Here 
in this place we are reminded of the words of the risen Saviour 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



to the pastor of the church at Ephesus. There are a good many 
things in the life of this man that he approves of; his labors, 
his patience, his forbearance with the evil and his ability to try 
them which say they are apostles and are not and has found 
them liars (Rev. 2:2-3). But he had left his first love and 
fallen away from Christ in his heart. He should remember 
from whence he had fallen and do the first works or else he 
would come quickly and remove the candlestick from its place, 
unless he would repent. If you wish to have an exposition or 
explanation of these words, dear reader, go to Ephesus, walk 
around its ruins, its walls, and rubbish, and you will find that 
the words of the Lord have been literally fulfilled. 

But we must go to the hotel. There I had a splendid din- 
ner at about 3 o'clock. I took my dinner out on the veranda, 
because it was so hot inside, and from here I had a very good 
view over the hill to the northwest from the station. And hav- 
ing had my dinner, I hastened to the station, for my train was 
arriving. The cars were all filled, and the hotel-keeper, who 
went with me to the station to bid me farewell, asked the con- 
ductor to put on another car, which he did. The conductor, 
who expected to get some bakschisch from me, said that I 
could be alone in the car and thus have all the comfort possible. 
I thanked him for his kindness and gave him bakschisch, of 
course, and he seemed quite satisfied. 

At 5 :30 I was back again in Smyrna, having spent a most 
memorable day. In Smyrna I took my supper in the Sailors' 
Home, which is located quite near the wharf. At this home 
the sailors may enjoy themselves in many ways and here they 
receive letters and newspapers from their home. In the 
reading room you find papers in the English language and 
they are quite fresh too. 



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September 5th was Sunday. I went out Sunday morning 
to see how the people of Smyrna were spending their Sundays, 
and at the regular church time I went to the English Episcopal 
church in the French quarter, not far from the American 
Consulate. The pastor was preaching on the text for the day, 
which treats of the man who went down from Jerusalem to 
Jericho and fell into the hands of the robbers. The sermon 
was good and I enjoyed it very much. He said among other 
things that this road is just as dangerous to travel at present 
as it was in the time of our Saviour, and I found within the 
next month that the man spoke the truth. 

In the afternoon I went out with the hotel-keeper's brother- 
in-law. His name was Crevo. We went up to the grave of 
Polycarp, which is located on a high hill in the southeastern 
section of the town or city. The Turks call Polycarp Jusuf 
Hadda, and now we are on the way to the grave of this great 
man of God. 

We went through the Turkish quarters of the city and up 
the hill. The streets were miserable and crooked. It was a 
long distance to the top of the hill, but at last we were there. 
There is a little building over the grave of Polycarp and a 
cypress tree stands close by the building. Here we had a most 
excellent view of the city and the bay with its surroundings. 

Now we are at the grave of one of the great men in the 
early church and we shall note a little chapter in church history 
from that time. On the imperial throne at Rome at that time 
sat a philosopher by the name of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus 
Philosophus (160-180). In many ways he was a good ruler, 
but in regard to the Christian religion we must say that he in- 
stituted one of the bloodiest persecutions against the Nazarene 
and his followers. He commanded that the Christians should 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



be- hunted up in a most careful and inquisitorial way and em- 
ployed various kinds of tortures to make them deny Christ. 

And so the persecutions were raging with relentless fero- 
city. The heathens had murdered many Christians and at last 
they called for the head of Polycarp. For some time he had 
withdrawn to a certain place in the country, being advised by 
some of his friends, but they hunted him up and brought him 
ito the city. "The will of the Lord be done," he said, when he 
went out to meet his enemies. He gave them food and some- 
thing to drink, and asked that they might grant him an hour 
for quiet meditation and prayer. He prayed for two hours, 
and those sent out to take him were very much touched by his 
piety and devotion to God. 

When the proconsul demanded that he should abjure 
Christ and he would become a free man, Polycarp said, "I 
have served him for six and eighty years and he has done me 
good and no evil. How should I be able to curse him, my Lord 
and my Saviour ? " He was condemned to be burnt. The Jews 
and Gentiles vied in bringing wood to the funeral pyre, and 
here the old bishop finished his eventful life. He thanked the 
Lord that he had considered him worthy to suffer for his 
name's sake. This execution is said to have taken place just 
a little below this grave of the martyr. Having observed care- 
fully the surroundings, we went a little further on to the 
Acropolis. Nearby are a number of old ruins and crumbled 
walls. Here we did not stay very long and returned through 
the French quarters to the hotel. 

We saw the difference in the various quarters of the city 
that we passed through. Narrow streets, poverty and dirt, 
and besides this an unbearable smell — this is what you see 
in the Turkish quarter. It is an oriental city and that is 
enough for us to know. In the evening I went to the Sailors' 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



Home again to attend the evening service and the prayer meet- 
ing. Having begun with a song, I read the 15th chapter in 
St. Luke and led in prayer, whereupon the pastor preached 
on the text about the prodigal son and then we had a prayer 
meeting. It was a good and edifying meeting. The Christian 
church is doing a great mission in this city, and a home of this 
nature, where the sailors from the various countries of the 
world are finding a refuge, is indeed a great comfort and guide 
to them. 

And now, before we leave this historic place, let us re- 
mind ourselves that in this city one of the seven churches was 
founded, to whose leader the Master sent his consoling letter, 
found in the book of Revelation. In the tribulation, which this 
angel and his church passed through, he was comforted by the 
words of the Master, "Be thou faithful unto death and I will 
give thee a crown of life." 

It is very remarkable that the churches that He rebukes, 
with the exception of Pergamus, have been altogether swept 
from the map of Christendom, while the three that He gives the 
promise have kept on during the course of time, and there are 
Christian churches there yet. Ephesus, Sardis and Laodicea 
are now in ruins, while Smyrna has a great many churches 
of various confessions. Thyatira has now more than 300 
houses that Christians occupy, and in Philadelphia services are 
held every Sunday in five churches. Surely, God's word re- 
maineth forever. 



[128] 



Chapter VIII 



PROM SMYRNA TO BEIRUT 
T 2 o'clock P. M. I secured a man to row me out to the 



7~\ Russian steamer, Zariza, which was anchored in the bay. 
It was scheduled to depart at 3 P. M., but did not go before 
4 :15. It was an old and very poor steamer, and it is a surprise 
to me that the Russian government would allow such a steamer 
to sail along this coast. It carries freight between the cities 
on the coast and takes passengers at the same time. A great 
throng was on this boat and many more boarded at Smyrna. 
The steamer came from Odessa in the Black sea and there 
were many Jews on the boat, destined to go to Palestine and 
particularly to Jerusalem. The passengers were not very 
pleased to travel on such a vessel, but there was nothing else 
to do. I could not make a change at this time, inasmuch as I 
had bought a ticket and gone aboard. When the boat had got- 
ten on all the freight, it lifted anchor and steamed out into the 
bay. On the upper deck I secured a good place, where I had 
an excellent view of the whole city. 

Now in regard to the passengers let me say, that I have 
never seen such a mixed crowd on a steamer before, but here I 
could see them at near range : — Jews, Turks, Arabs, Armenians 
and French, and I might say "men of every nation under the 
sun. ' ' During the five days that I sailed on the Mediterranean 
and Aegean seas I had a chance to study this mixed crowd on 
the lower deck, while I was sitting on the upper. The poor 




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people are ragged, almost half naked and it was a pitiable 
sight to see them. 

Here on the boat I became acquainted with an Armenian 
missionary His name was Garabed H. Keshishian from Hadjin 
in Asia Minor. I also met another missionary, who was on 
his way to Messina. Here on the boat I met a man by the 
name of Paul Fisher, from Budapest, Hungary. This young 
man spoke French and German and we got along very well 
together. He was on his way to Jerusalem. Mr. Fisher was 
by profession a civil engineer and as to his religion a Catholic. 

When the boat had gotten out of the bay, it turned in a 
northwesterly direction and then due west, between the island 
of Kios and the mainland. At 11 o'clock in the evening our 
boat anchored at Kios to take in freight and passengers. We 
did not stay here long. 

During the night our boat rolled on the waves quite a good 
deal and some of the passengers became seasick. At sunrise, 
September 7th, we passed between the islands of Samos and 
Furni. These islands are so very much like the Grecian islands, 
that I could not see any difference between them. It was 
quite difficult to find out just where we were in the Aagean sea. 
I waited for some time, conversing with my Armenian friends 
as to where the island of Patmos was located, but they were 
evidently less acquainted with the topography of the Aegean 
sea than I was. I was confused, because I did not know that 
our boat went to the east of the Sporades. I began to fear that 
we had passed by the island of Patmos, and went to the captain 
and asked him where Patmos was to be found. He pointed to 
the northwest and said that we had just passed it ; and lo, there 
it was indeed. We had just passed it by and it was to the 
right of the boat. It is a small island, comparatively, only 20 
miles around and looks very naked and desolate. It is about 



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20 miles from Samos due south, and about 70 miles southwest 
from Ephesus. It was to this island that the apostle John was 
banished in the time of the Emperor Domitian, or according 
to other authorities during the time of the Emperor Nero. 

A narrow neck of land divided the island into two parts. 
On a hill in the southern end of island is a cloister, named after 
the apostle John, and near by is a grotto, in which the seer of 
this island is supposed to have had his visions and received 
his revelations, which we have recorded in the Book of 
Revelation. 

It was in accordance with the customs of the time to banish 
to desolate places such persons as the rulers seemed dangerous 
to the safety of the public and therefore John was sent to this 
lonely place. But even here the Lord was with him, and showed 
him the New Jerusalem, from which no one who enters there 
will be banished, and where no eye shall shed a tear. The 
present name of the island is Palmosa for the reason that there 
were many palms on the island in times past. 

During the day we passed by the islands of Leros, Kalyn- 
nos, and Kos, which were to the right of our vessel. In tht 
afternoon at 4 o'clock we anchored outside Rhodes at its north- 
eastern end. Before long we received visitors on the boat 
from the land. They came to sell fruits of various kinds, i 
did not wish to buy of their fruit, because I was afraid that it 
might be of the same kind that I had bought in Smyrna. On 
the top the figs were clean and good looking, but further down 
they were small and dirty beyond description, and I could not 
use them at all. We hear some speak of the American "hum- 
bug;" why not speak of the Turkish "humbug," because there 
is greater reason to speak of the latter than of the former. 

The city of Rhodes has a beautiful location, but I do not 
know whether there is any beauty within the city, inasmuch 

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as I did not land. But there are many Turks there, and that 
is sufficient for us to know. Wherever the Turks are, there is 
dirt and rags. 

On this island the Colossus was erected. It stood here for 
56 years and fell in an earthquake 224 B. C. There the frag- 
ments of this monster were lying till 656 A. D., when the island 
of Rhodes was captured by the Mohammedans. They sold 
parts of the statue to merchants and it took 900 camels to carry 
them away. This statue was considered one of the seven won- 
ders of the world and was made by Chares. He labored for 
12 long years and in 280 B. C. his task was completed. The 
height is generally given as 105 feet. 

At 5 :30 in the afternoon we lifted anchor and steamed 
away in a northeasterly direction. We saw the land to our 
left. It was the mainland of Asia minor. During the evening 
and the night we saw land continually to the left. It was a 
mountainous country and mostly barren and desolate. The 
land which we saw was the province of ancient Lycia. On the 
shore of this province lies the city of Myra. Many times Saint 
Paul had sailed along this coast. The last time was in the year 
61 A. D., when he as a prisoner was sent to Rome. In Acts 
27 :5 we read, that ' ' they came to Myra in Lycia. ' ' Here the 
centurion found a ship from Alexandria that was going to 
Italy, and Paul and the other prisoners were brought aboard. 

As we pass the island of Cos to the right, we have to the 
left of us in the bay a little island and on the mainland of an- 
cient Caria the town of Budrum. This is the old Halicarnassos. 
Here, we are told in history, stood one of the seven wonders of 
the ancient world, the tomb of Mausolus, the king of Caria. 
This king was married to one of his sisters, Artemisia, and when 
he died in 353 B. C, she built a tomb in his honor. This tomb 
was buried long ago under the debris. Excavators have picked 

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up pieces here and tried to construct a tomb so as to give us 
an idea how it looked. 

In the morning at 7 :30, we did not see any land. Way in 
the bay to the left is the city of Perge in Pamphylia. At this 
landing place the apostles Paul, Barnabas and Mark landed in 
the year 45 A. D. on their first missionary journey. The young 
inexperienced John or Mark feared to undertake the journey 
up the lonely mountains, where robbers were lurking in the 
mountain passes. He knew that there was danger ahead of 
him, and returned to Jerusalem, but nothing could deter Paul 
from going on this journey. Faith in the Master and in his 
cause made him bold and he together with Barnabas continued. 

At 11 A. M. we again see land to the left of the steamer. 
It is the high mountaintops of Cilicia. It is the home country 
of Paul that we see in the distance and the high ridges yonder 
to the left are the Taurus mountains. It is a very warm day. 
The heat is almost unbearable. The boats in these waters 
carry with them a very large canvas and this is stretched 
over our head in warm days. If they had not had this protec- 
tion, I do not know how we could have stood it. In the after- 
noon the steamer is moving along the coast and the country 
looks very much the same as that which we have seen during 
the day. At 3 o 'clock we see the island of Cyprus to the right. 

If the weather had been clear, we could have seen the 
mountain tops very well. Yonder on that island Paul and 
Barnabas together with Mark had landed as they came from 
Seleucia on the Syrian coast and they labored at Salamis 
and Paphos, telling the remarkable story. The Acts tell us 
what was done on that island by these messengers of the 
Nazarene. 

Our steamer turns in northeasterly direction and at 10:30 
A. M. we cast anchor outside of Mersina. Here our boat 



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stayed till the following evening. The next morning, Septem- 
ber 9th, I went ashore intending to go to Tarsus. Two Armeni- 
ans went with me — Keshishian and Kruozian. At the landing- 
place we had to show our passports, of course. They kept my 
passport until I returned from Tarsus and went on the boat. 
Here one of the missionaries lost one of his umbrellas and other 
things. The miserable Turkish boys stole them. To be sure, they 
steal whatever they can get hold of. They were searching for 
the lost articles and a policeman was called. He drove away 
the boys as though they had been a pack of wolves, but they 
returned just as fast and wished to have an opportunity to 
steal more. I left my baggage on the boat, so that I had 
nothing to lose. It became very lively here and I had not seen 
such a tumult before. The policeman struck the boys with the 
whip mercilessly, but to no avail. They came back the next 
minute and looked like hungry wolves. 

Now Mersina is not an old seaport. It was founded in 
the middle of the 19th century by Ibrahim Pascha. There is 
nothing of interest particularly for the Tourist to see here. It 
is located on the Cilician plain on the Mediterranean sea, has 
19,000 inhabitants and a harbor of some importance. The 
streets are narrow and dirty, just as in any other oriental city. 
You cannot expect cleanliness among the Turks. 

But we are going to Tarsus, a distance of about 15 miles. 
The road leads in a northeasterly direction over the Cilician 
plain, and to your left you have, then, the Taurus mountains. 
We began our journey at 8 o'clock A. M. and came to Tarsus 
at 11 A. M. The road is quite good and level. Here and there 
we saw caravans. They bring wheat and other necessities 
down through Syria and Arabia. But look here ! It is a trac- 
tion engine! How peculiar to see it on the field here in old 
and sleepy Cilicia! 



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Ahead of us we see some trees and houses in the distance. 
It is Tarsus or as it is now called Tersos. Our coachman is a 
good driver and soon we are there. The sun is very warm 
and it is very hard for the poor horses. Outside of the town there 
was a little brook. Oxen and cows are there in great number, 
wallowing in the mire and trying to find relief from the heat. 
Here is an old gateway and it is claimed that it dates from 
the 8th century. We drive along the street a little distance 
and I can hardly comprehend that this is the hometown of 
Saint Paul. We stop in front of the mission school of the 
Congregational church. When I came in, I met the old, gray- 
haired and venerable veteran, Dr. Christie, a man of 65 years, 
who in his earlier days had been in the civil war in the United 
States. He looked as hearty and spry as though he could live 
another 65 years. He was a missionary every inch of him. His 
heart was beating for the salvation of souls. He was the Presi- 
dent of Saint Paul's College here at Tarsus, and invited us for 
dinner, but he had to withdraw his invitation, because of the 
fact that he was called to the court as witness in regard to the 
massacre at Tarsus the previous spring. 

We sat a long while and spoke of the massacre and it was 
touching to hear the old veteran describe his experience in this 
massacre, a few months ago. He said, "I saw a lot of blood 
flow in the civil war, for I was in many battles, but never did I 
see anything so terrible as the last massacre here." Permit me 
to quote a few words, written by Dr. Christie regarding this 
massacre: "Leaving the ruins of Tarsus behind us, and hun- 
dreds of weeping widows and orphans there, we came by train 
to Adana. Near the city the road runs for miles through 
vineyards and gardens, in former days a beautiful sight. But 
now it is a waste of desolation. All the houses of the Christians 
are heaps of ruins. In and around those houses more than 500 

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were slain during three terrible days of April. The houses of 
Moslems have not been injured. We noted a like contrast as 
respects the numerous farms on the plain between Tarsus and 
Adana. And yet the charge is made, and believed, that the 
Armenians were the aggressors! In the once prosperous 
Adana, nothing but ruins. It is like the pictures I have seen 
of Pompeii. The wretched survivors wander by twos and threes 
around the places, where once stood their happy homes. They 
look more like ghosts than human beings, these pale, dejected, 
barefooted widows and orphans, picking their way with diffi- 
culty over the heaps of broken stones that fill the streets. As 
I saw them, and talked with some of them ; as I thought of the 
happiness and prosperity that were theirs so lately, but now 
vanished forever ; and then as I remembered the thousands of 
other happy homes destroyed in this our beautiful Cilicia; 
the churches and schools leveled with the ground ; worst of all 
the mangled and unburied bodies of such multitudes of inno- 
cent men, women and children — as I thought of all this, I felt 
that a new Jeremiah must arise among us to pour forth another 
Lamentation. The great city, that invited so many strangers 
to find their homes here, has not now one home to offer even 
to her own children. The roads that used to bring caravans 
from every direction to this land, flowing with milk and honey, 
are now deserted of men and beast. The sacred waters of the 
Sarus, that once made this plain a great garden, have been pol- 
luted by thousands of bloody corpses that the river has had 
to bear to the Mediterranean Sea." 

So great and hospitable a plain, and yet it could not spare 
the ground to furnish these martyrs with a grave! Ah yes, 
many a man, woman, and child were burned to ashes and had 
their home for a grave ! 0, ye Heavens, how could you look 
upon such devilish acts with your holy eyes? 



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On our way from Adana to Missis (the ancient Mopsu- 
estia), we passed by a spot where two Christian villages had 
been, Abdoghloo and Injirli. In the former there were sixty 
Armenian houses and two Turkish. The Turks tried to protect 
their Christian neighbors, but the cruel mob threatened them, 
so that last they had to let the bloodthirsty crowd work their 
will. Every person perished, except four or five little children. 
Injirli was treated in like manner, most of the people being 
killed with axes. Only a few children and women escaped to 
Adana, and nearly all of these perished in the second Adana 
massacre. Scores had taken refuge in a large house at Injirli. 
It was burned with all its inmates. In the one street and the 
open space lie other bodies, half eaten by dogs, jackals and 
vultures. A traveler, who came through the great pass, north 
of Tarsus, the Cilician Gates, quite recently, says, there is not 
a vulture now to be seen in the mountains ; the carcasses of 
animals lie there untouched ; the great birds prefer what they 
now find in abundance on the plain. 

We reached Missis just before dark. Here there are ex- 
tensive ancient ruins on both banks of the Pyramus ; the blood- 
stained broken walls of forty modern houses have been added 
to them. Not a soul was left alive except the two blacksmiths, 
whose work is necessary to the Moslem villagers, and who were 
compelled to turn Mohammedans. When some women who had 
been spared were about to be divided among the murderers, 
they escaped, and running to the bridge over the Pyramus, cast 
themselves into the river, preferring death to dishonor. The waves 
sang their funeral dirge, and the sea now keeps their bodies to 
the resurrection day. Brave sisters ! Glorious martyrs ! Your 
story shall be told in Cilicia through all coming ages. Mop- 
suestia shall no longer be famous through its great Bishop The- 
odore, the friend of Chrysostom; its Christian martyrs have 



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now given it a new renown. Only two years ago, the people 
here and their children gave to a lady missionary a bag of 
coppers, the collections during the winter in behalf of the 
child widows of India. He who commended the widow's mite 
has now received the givers into his unspeakable glory and joy. 
They were faithful in that which was least, and when the time 
came, in that which was greatest. 

Late that evening we came to Hamidieh, about twenty-five 
miles east of Adana. No friend was there to meet us, all of 
those with whom we had talked, when coming west a few 
months ago were gone. In a cotton factory belonging to a 
Frenchman we found the very few Armenians who are still 
alive. Then we saw the widow of the minister and one or two 
hopeless, helpless people, all that are left of our many friends. 
More than five hundred were killed in the town, and more than 
fifteen hundred in the fields around it. The horrid work con- 
tinued for twenty-two days; for scores of Christians had hid- 
den themselves in the growing grain; the Turks hunted these 
down with dogs, and slew them to the last man. The large 
Christian population of this region had been wiped out. The 
Turks can now enjoy their absolute possession of the whole of 
this great plain. Four decrepit old men are all that are left of 
the Hamidieh congregation. There were about four hundred 
houses belonging to the Armenians ; they and their shops are 
all gone. The women and children were not killed ; there are 
almost four hundred of these widows and orphans. What is 
their future to be ? 

On the next day we reached Osmanieh, at the east end of 
the Cilician plain, about fifty -five miles from Adana. Here 
also there was a fearful massacre on the fifteenth of April. The 
first to die was our old friend Giragos Mamalian. His house 
was plundered, but not burned, as it is near the mosque. We 



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found few survivors, all with sad stories to tell. Thirty-five 
families took refuge in the Gregorian church, and were there 
destroyed by fire; the few who ran out of the building were 
slain in the street. The little children died with the rest. In 
Osmanieh three hundred and twenty of the inhabitants and 
three hundred and four laborers who had come from the moun- 
tain villages, were killed. Two hundred houses were burned. 
Eighteen men were protected in the telegraph office for three 
days. But notwithstanding all that the good operator, Sabri 
Effendi of Elbistan, could do, the mob at last got hold of the 
refugees, first put out their eyes and then hacked them to pieces. 
The ferocity displayed in this massacre is almost unbelievable. 
Four Armenians fled to the mountain, where they lived for some 
days on grass and roots. At length they ventured down, and 
came to the Government house as a place of safety. But the 
soldiers and sabtiehs there put them to death without mercy. 
Here and in Jebel about thirty men became Moslems and were 
circumcised. Only seventeen men are left in all in Osmanieh, 
five Protestants and twelve Gregorians. Our church here had 
become self supporting; now the pastors and nearly all the 
members are dead. The women told me a story that came 
like a gleam of light in all this darkness. The father and 
mother in a Greek family, under the threat of death, consented 
to become Moslems. They tried to persuade their son to do the 
same, telling him there was no sin involved, since they were 
under compulsion. But the boy nobly refused, saying, "I can 
not deny my Lord, I will not become a Moslem." The infuri- 
ated mob heard him and fired at him, wounding him in the face, 
but as by a miracle he escaped death. Who do you suppose 
it was ? None other than our dear little Bayesios ! The brave 
little man! When I told the women I was surprised at his 
courage, they said, "0, but you know he studied in the Tarsus 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



College. I hope you will tell all the friends of the college." 
A confession like that shines out like a star in the dark and 
cloudy night. It confronts us in all this misery. May God 
bless the heroes and heroines like him ! This makes me think of 
the nearly fifty present or former students at Tarsus, who have 
witnessed a good confession, in various places at this time and 
have sealed that confession with their blood. Ought not a 
memorial to them be put up in our college buildings? And 
with their names we should inscribe that of Rogers, the teacher 
of some of these martyrs. 

The most sacred spot in Osmanieh is where our little church 
stood ; we went to see it. No other sight broke our heart like 
this. For there are the ashes of fourteen of our best loved 
pastors and preachers, of four delegates of the churches, and 
of many other friends. The world was not worthy of them. 
Among them was professor Livonian of the Central College at 
Aintab ; when shall we see his like again ? It is hard to under- 
stand why they were delivered over at this spot to the angel of 
death. They had confronted many a dying Christian, and at his 
funeral had spoken words of sympathy and of divine cheer to 
the mourners. But at their own death-bed no praying wife or 
child had the privilege of kneeling, to receive their last words 
and treasure them. No rose-surrounded grave holds their 
precious remains ; here they are under the ruins of the church 
that was burnt over their heads, while the mob of crazy fanatics 
raged around them. Innocent as was Abel, the first martyr; 
praying with their last breath that their murderers might be 
forgiven, with Christian love in their hearts for even their 
enemies, so they went into the presence of their Master. Pre- 
cious in the sight of God is the death of His saints. Fragrant 
will their memory ever be in this Central Turkey Mission. 
This place, and Sai Getchid, where the other pastors and dele- 



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gates were slain, will yet be visited by thousands, as places 
consecrated by sacred memories. He who said, "Touch not 
my anointed!" will watch over their memory and over the 
work that they have left behind them. To him we c ommi t their 
canse and ours. 

On the next day we came to Baghche, a little town nestling 
in the romantic glen in the heart of the Amanus mountains. 
Here there were eight hundred Armenians. Of these about five 
hundred remain, all but fifteen being widows and orphans. 
Several of the fifteen men are wounded. One hundred and 
forty houses were burned. The women were kept in the 
mosque for three days, where bloody water was brought to 
them to drink. The Armenians had wells in their houses, but 
the Turks threw dead bodies into these. One Turk, Eukkesh, 
the son of Hakk Bab a. killed forty-five Christians with an axe, 
his companions holding them for him. What a heart! 

On the way to Fundajak the next day, we came to a place, 
where over a hundred men of Marash were killed, while on 
their way to find work in the Cilician plain. We thought this 
would be the last: but at '"The Fountain of the Sun" we met 
some Armenians who were gathering up the remains of fifteen 
others who had there been killed. It seems that these fifteen 
had fled from Kharne. when the massacre broke out there. A 
Turkish chief named Ibish, and his sons, received them to their 
village, gave them food, then in the evening took them all out 
and murdered them. One's heart is sick of these unvarying 
tales of merciless slaughter of innocent Christians. We have to 
remember, however, that they are no new thing in Turkish 
history; again and again have like atrocities shocked the civi- 
lized world. These things will continue till the Ottomans 
accept the gospel of the meek and lowly and merciful Jesus, 
or until the power of the sword is taken away from them. 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



When the Fundajak friends saw us they praised God for show- 
ing them again some living Armenians. On our part we were 
glad to see once more a town as yet unburned. Our pleasure 
was the same in Marash. But we learned with sorrow that 
some six hundred men were killed on the Adana plain, or when 
on the way hither. Only about thirty were slain in the city 
itself. Thus our arrival in Marash and meeting with friends 
.ended this heart-breaking journey." 

We spoke of these massacres until Dr. Christie was com- 
pelled to go and then we went out to see the school buildings. 
On a hill in the neighborhood of the school we had a splendid 
view of the city and that part burned in the last massacre. In 
the town of Tarsus six hundred were killed and in the whole 
vicinity and the neighboring towns eighteen thousand, 
and nearly all these in three days, the 14th, 15th and 16th of 
April. The son-in-law of Dr. Christie, Rogers, was shot right 
in front of him. As a consequence of these massacres the 
country was under martial law and so-called court martials 
were held in Tarsus and other towns in the vicinity at this time. 
It was to such a court that Dr. Christie was called as a witness. 

It was a job to get through the streets in the Christian 
quarters. The buildings were burnt and torn down. It looked 
like the destruction of Messina of Sicily, of which we shall 
speak later. 

I do not remember ever having seen anything that made 
such a sad impression on me, as this part of Tarsus. You 
could read desolation and ruin everywhere. Only the old walls 
stood there as specters of the bloody days of last April, testi- 
fying what had happened. 

Most of those who had lived here in this quarter, were 
either killed, or driven away. In Adana it was still worse, as 
we have seen by the testimony of Dr. Christie. It is impossible 



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to describe it. My fellow companion, the druggist Rejebian, 
told rne that in a family the mother and the daughters were 
most shamefully treated, and the father was flayed, while still 
alive, which took about two hours. Then they killed him. 

There are now about eighteen thousand citizens in Tarsus. 
A great deal of business is being done here. The plain around 
here is very fruitful, but unhealthy. In the earlier days the 
river Kydnos ran through the town, but now it is a quarter 
of an hour's journey to the east. The town is partly sur- 
rounded by a wall, and it is said that a certain Harundel-Ra- 
schid built it. Most of the houses in Tarsus have only one story 
and look very poor. Here on these streets the little boy Paul 
used to run around, and yet not on these streets. Dr. Christie 
told me that you would have to dig down forty feet, before 
you would be down on the streets on which Paul (or Saul) 
was walking. 

The city of Tarsus became noted for its schools and the 
Stoics had their representatives here. Tarsus sent out its 
teachers to various parts of the world and even to Rome. But 
the most renowned son of Tarsus is Paul, the Apostle to the 
Gentiles. 

To this place they brought Julian, known in history as the 
Apostate when he had fallen in the war against the Scythians. 
Here he was buried. Here Cleopatra sailed up the river Kyd- 
nos, in her well decorated ship, at the command of her lover, 
Antonius. The people at this place were then very much given 
to pleasures and lived a licentious life. It is said, that the old 
proverb, which Paul quotes in 1 Cor. 15 :32, was written on the 
statue of Sardanapolus. in the neighboring town of Aukiale. 
This seems to have been the watchword of the people in this 
section, and, sad to say, it is the watchword of these times for 
many a one, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die." 

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We returned to Messina and thence sailed to Alexandretta. 
The town lies by the sea on a little plain, which extends to the 
foot of the mountains. We are now in the northeast corner of 
the Mediterranean sea, and to the northeast of us we see the 
battlefield of Issus, where Alexander the Great won a complete 
victory over the Persian king Darius in 333 B. C. 

The town of Alexandretta marks the boundary line between 
Syria and Asia Minor and we might say between the Turkish 
and the Syrian languages. Here our boat stopped nearly all 
day and put on freight, which consisted of oxen, horses, sheep 
and goats. It was very interesting to see how they put these 
animals on the boat. They tied together half a dozen sheep 
by their feet, hoisted them up from the boat below, and then 
let them down in our boat. They put a certain saddle on the 
horses and then hoisted them up in the air, and then let them 
down on our steamer. Sometimes the ropes broke and the poor 
animals fell down from a great height. This looked rather 
rough, but we must remember, that we are in Turkish territory, 
and the Turks are not very tender hearted. 

As we left Alexandretta, a strong storm blew up from the 
northwest and in a little while the sea was white with foam. 
Just before, the waves had rolled in on the coast from the south- 
west. A very heavy rain fell and I sat on the deck in spite 
of the heavy rain, because I wished to see Seleucia on the coast 
further south. It became dark very early, because of the 
heavy clouds that covered the heavens. But the land in the 
east was clearly visible now and then, owing to the bright 
lightning late in the evening. 

Over on the other side of the mountains lies the city of 
Antioch. It is an old town and is located on the banks of the 
river Orontes. It was founded by Seleucus Nicator in the 
year 300 B. C, and was called after his father Antiochus. No 

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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



city is so closely related to the Apostolic church as Antioch 
with the exception of Jerusalem. One of the seven deacons in 
the mother church at Jerusalem was from Antioch (Acts 6:5). 
When persecutions arose in Jerusalem against the Christians, 
they were scattered in all directions. The Jews and the Gen- 
tiles thought that they could prevent the spreading of the 
Christian doctrine, but they had miscalculated. The more 
they persecuted the Christians, the more the latter were scat- 
tered, and wherever they came, they worked for the develop- 
ment of the kingdom of Christ; and thus the Christians be- 
came living seed that bore fruit to the honor and glory of God. 
It was Christians from Jerusalem that preached the Gospel first 
in Antioch and thus a church was founded here. Here the fol- 
lowers of Christ were first called Christians (Acts 11:25). In 
this connection we might mention, that the people of Antioch 
were very quick and witty and were known to give their fel- 
lowmen nicknames. The people of Antioch thus did not have 
very much use for the name, which we adore and bless. 

From Antioch Paul and Barnabas together with Mark 
went out to tell the story of the cross to their fellowmen and 
to place the world at the feet of the lowly Nazarene. Starting 
out on their first journey, they went down the river Orontes 
to Seleucia, the port-town of Antioch. While a very hard 
storm was raging and the wind was howling in the railing 
and sail, and while the lightning was flashing among the 
mountains over yonder, in the Syrian coast regions, we passed 
by Seleucia. The thought of these three men, whose hearts 
were burning with love and zeal, came to me very vividly. 
They sailed along just where we were steaming southward 
along the coast. It was dark out on the billows; the day was 
ended. Our old boat rolled quite heavily. It became quite 
lonely to sit on the deck this dark evening, so I went to bed, know- 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



ing that the next day I would come to the outposts of the 
country which was the object of my journey, the Land of 
Promise. 

In the morning of September 11th, I arose at five o'clock, 
just as the boat was about to anchor outside of Tripolis. The 
sun was not up yet and it looked a little dark and gloomy. 
To the east I noticed a mountain range, extending north and 
south very majestically. I did not need to hunt in my guide 
book to find the name of this range. It is the northern end of 
Lebanon, which I see before me, the Lebanon of the Scriptures, 
Lebanon of the songs and sagas. I was alone on the deck 
with the exception of some of the crew of the vessel. The 
other passengers slept soundly in their cabins or down on the 
lower deck. My heart was beating a little faster than usual, 
because I had now come so far that I could see Lebanon. I for- 
got the town and its surroundings. My eyes were resting on 
the majestic mountains. Proudly they rise like a wall here in 
this part of Syria and extend south along the Mediterranean 
coast. 

This is our last day on the steamer Zariza, and hence a few 
words about this our home for five days and nights. I have 
already intimated, that the steamer is an old, rickety and dirty 
vessel, and even the Mohammedans, who are known to live 
very much in filth, said that the Russian government ought to 
be punished for permitting such a vessel to take passengers. 
Many of the passengers bought what is known as "deck- 
ticket," and on the deck they are living, and here they are 
preparing their meals, here they sleep, pray and play cards. 
It appeared to me that many of them were real barbarians, and 
some of them lived much as animals. Some seemed to be re- 
ligious; others cared nothing for God and lived a godless life. 
Three times a day I saw the Mohammedans perform their re- 



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ligious exercises, and they did so with a devotion that was very 
touching. The Jews, who lived on the deck among Arabs, 
Turks, chickens, geese, oxen, goats, and sheep, appeared to be 
a people very much suppressed by poverty and persecution. 
Every morning I saw them sit on the deck, gathering their 
children around them, and reading the Hebrew Bible ; and it 
was a pleasure to me to see the little tots read the Bible. 

An old Jew seemed to me to be very downhearted. I went 
and spoke to him. He was from Russia, but spoke quite good 
German. I asked him whither he was going and he said, 
"Nach Jerusalem" (To Jerusalem). When I asked him further 
what he planned to do in the Holy city, he said, "Ich armer 
Mensch, was soil Ich da thun?" (Wretched man, that I am, 
what shall I do there?) I thought of Paul and his expression in 
the letter to the Romans, "Wretched man that I am." Here, 
then, was one of those Jews, who was on his way to his own 
home country, and it appeared to me that he was very much 
oppressed. He and many other Jews were reading daily the 
Old Testament. I was very glad, indeed, to find some that were 
striving for something higher than eating, drinking, sleeping, 
and being merry. The last day on the boat I happened to meet 
a doctor, who had recently graduated from the Medical Col- 
lege at Beirut. He was an Armenian and spoke good English, 
and we conversed for a long time about the Armenian question ; 
a question that is so very dear and vital to the hearts of those 
poor people. One who has not studied the Armenian question 
has no idea of the suffering of these people and the amount of 
blood that has been flowing because of the sword of Mohammed. 
The young physician told me that he, when he visited his 
mother at Aleppo in Syria, was taken prisoner by the Turkish 
authorities in Aleppo, and kept by them 22 days, because he 
did not wish to pay them bakschisch. He had a letter in his 



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pocket, a letter to a friend, and in this letter lie used some 
medical terms, as H 2 SO 4 , and because of this they tried to 
make out a case against him. They said, "H signifies Hammid 
or the Sultan, and signifies nothing, ' ' and hence they reasoned 
that he had written to his friend that the Sultan is nothing, or 
no good. It must have been a condition wicked beyond descrip- 
tion during the regime of Abdul Hamid. This young doctor 
said right out, that the massacres on the Armenians were in- 
stigated by the Sultan, and no doubt that was the case, because 
he wished to suppress that element in his realm, which was 
laboring for another form of government, the constitutional 
form of government which the young Turks and the Armenians 
were striving for. But even the old Sultan went with his jar 
to the well, until it was broken under his hands. And a better 
day has already come for the poor Armenians. 

It is 11 o 'clock in the forenoon and we are leaving Tripolis. 
The next place is Beirut. The wind blew against us all day. 
I was sitting on the deck all the time watching the magnificent 
panorama of yonder Lebanon mountains. We saw the clouds 
on the top of the mountains and rainstorms were raging along 
the sides. Here and there on the slopes of Lebanon we saw 
beautiful orchards, towns and villages in abundance. A more 
romantic view is hard to find. 

But look! There is a city on the promontory, jutting out 
in the sea. It is Beirut. At 2 o'clock we are there in the bay 
and our boat anchors. Here the Arabs and the Turks are more 
noisy than at other previous places, and that is saying a good 
deal. The best thing under the circumstances is to stand still 
and take it easy and make them believe, that you care for 
nothing and might go further on with the boat. But you 
must take care of your baggage; otherwise the limber Arabs 
will run away with it, and it will not take long either. 



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- The young man from Budapest. Mr. Paul Fisher, whom I 
had learned to know on the boat, went with me to the hotel. 
It was ± :o0 P. M., when I set my foot on the holy soil, a moment 
that I never shall forget. We came very easily through the 
custom house and went to the hotel Gasman. Here we found a 
very comfortable place and it was a treat to be permitted to 
come into a clean hotel after a five days' trip on the dirty boat. 
God be praised that I had been permitted to land in good 
health ! The Lord grant, that I may be able to travel around 
in this wonderful land and study its conditions and look up 
the old historic places here and there. The real object of my 
travel in Palestine was to get a clearer light on my Bible, and 
in doing so. to learn to know more of Him. who is the central 
figure in that blessed book, the wonderful Godman from Galilee. 



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Chapter IX 



FROM BEIRUT TO DAMASCUS 



E are now on Biblical ground, although not in Palestine 



Y y proper. Nevertheless, we are in a land often mentioned 
in the Scriptures, and for this reason this country is of great 
importance to the Bible student. Beirut, Berothai or Berothah, 
is the principal city of the eastern coast of the Mediterranean 
sea, and the largest commercial center on the Syrian coast. 
During the last decade it has developed very fast in every way. 
It is the influence of the European and American missionaries 
that has helped to bring about this wonderful change. Here 
the mission schools have struck deep roots, and the influence 
is felt throughout the whole of Syria. 

Beirut is a very old city. It existed in the fourteenth cen- 
tury before our era, as we can find out from the travelogue of 
a certain Mohar, an Egyptian, whose name is not known. He 
styles himself "Mohar," which means "author." This man 
wrote a travelogue about his journey in Syria and adjoining 
countries at the time of Rameses II, or about 1392-1325 B. C. 
He relates this, his journey, to a friend and informs him of his 
experiences. He tells of his travels through the land of Katta 
(Hittites). When returning southward, he comes to the cities 
Berothai, Sidon, Sarepta and Tyre. This very interesting docu- 
ment was printed in 1866, and tells us that Beirut existed 
when Rameses II ruled in the Nile Valley. 

This city is spoken of in the Scriptures. In 2 Sam. 8 :8 we 
read that David slew Hadarezer, the king of Sobah, and took 




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booty from him and brought it to Jerusalem. "And from 
Betah, and from Berothai, cities of Hadarezer, king David took 
exceedingly much brass." The prophet Hezekiel describes the 
northern boundary of the Holy Land thus, "Hamath, Berothah, 
Sibraim, which is between the border of Damascus and the 
border of Hamath." (Hez. 47:16). 

The word "Berothai" means "wells" and many believe 
that Beirut is the Berothai of the Scriptures, because so many 
wells have been found in this neighborhood. According to the 
Jewish historian, Plavius Josephus, it was here in Beirut, that 
Herod put to death his two sons, Aristobulus and Alexander. 
He was the accuser and did not even permit his own sons to 
defend themselves. This was just like Herod. The Emperor 
Vespasian liberated the historian Josephus from his chains 
here, because the latter had predicted that Vespasian would 
become emperor. It was here that the emperor celebrated the 
birth of his father by putting to death five thousand Jews. It 
was here that Herod Agrippa put up a very costly theatre and 
spent his last days in gluttony and licentious living. Here a 
law school was established by the Romans, and here was a 
bishopric in the early days of the Christian church. A synod- 
ical meeting was held here in 448. In 552 an earthquake shook 
the city so that 30,000 people were killed. The Arabs took it 
in 638 and Saladin captured it after the battle of Hattin in 
1187. Since 1518, it has been under the Turkish government, 
but now and then the Druses of Lebanon have ruled over it. 

This city is of the greatest importance for Syria and 
Palestine. It is a commercial center and there is a very power- 
ful mission station in this section of the country. Its popula- 
tion at present numbers about 125,000, and it is growing very 
rapidly. There are about one hundred higher and lower in- 
stitutions of learning in Beirut and about 10,000 pupils. The 



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American school, the Syrian Protestant College, was founded 
in 1866, and 630 students attend it. This institution has a The- 
ological, Medical and Commercial College and a school for 
druggists. This school is very well equipped in every way. In 
this city there are a great many hospitals and orphan homes, 
erected by the various churches that do mission work here. 

The city is located in a very beautiful region, and has a 
very good climate. It looks very much like a huge orchard. 
The houses look quite good, especially in that portion of the 
city which is occupied by the Europeans. The stores are quite 
modern and somewhat resemble the stores in Europe - and 
America. 

In the afternoon I went to the American Consulate. The 
consul was not in at the time and I did not meet him. From 
the consulate I went to the wharf, along a very narrow street, 
where loaded camels, asses, ragged children, and a great throng 
of people were going back and forth. When I saw the enor- 
mous burdens that these animals carried, I was simply amazed. 
Such piles of stones and lumber! At last, I came to Cook's 
office. It is located near by the sea. Here I went back and 
forth for some time, listening to the roar of the billows. They 
were beating furiously against the shore. It was a stormy 
day. They rolled in from the distant west, bringing me a 
greeting from my hearth and home in the distant Occident. 
When you are far away from home and are roaming among 
all kinds of people, you are often thinking of your home and 
the best country on which the sun shines. There is my own 
dear, sweet home. 

The following day was Sunday. My fellow traveler, Mr. 
Fisher, wished to go to Damascus and I felt that I could not 
leave him and be alone. I therefore went along. We arose 
quite early. The train was to leave at 7:20 in the morning. 

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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



At last we are ready and off we go. We passed through 
orchards and parks, where the houses are seen between the 
olives, oleanders, palms and mulberry trees. Outside the city 
we find a hedge of cypress trees, walnut trees, and further on 
we see fields of grain; cotton and rice also grow there in the 
proper season. It is autumn and yet we see such a growth 
everywhere. We are simply delighted at such a rich and 
glorious land as we find here. 

Soon we reach the foot of Lebanon, and now we shall 
climb its steep sides. I had never been so near to this moun- 
tain before. Several days I had looked at it from a distance, 
but now I am, at last, at its foot and about ready to climb over it. 
And now we are going over it not as the pilgrims used to do in the 
olden times, but by rail. Think of it ! Over Lebanon by rail ! 
The sleepy Orient is aroused by the activity of the Occident ! 

It soon becomes evident that the railroad engineers did 
not have a very easy time in laying out the road over these 
mountains. But I had seen what the engineers had done in 
the Rockies and in the Cascades in our own country, and I 
know that they do almost the impossible in these days. 

When we have ascended the first hill, there is a very good 
view of the city, the sea and the vicinity. But greater things 
are in store for us as we ascend. The train goes very slowly in 
these mountains and it takes about four hours before we reach 
the top of the ridge. Along the sides of the mountains we see 
plantations and vineyards. Here and there they have built walls 
to prevent the soil from flowing down with the rain in the 
winter. Every square foot of ground is tilled in a most careful 
manner. 

Our train is going up the mountain in a zigzag way, and 
. sometimes they put the locomotive behind the train to push it 
onward along the steep sides of the mountain. At Ain Sofar 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



there is a very beautiful sight over the sea and the whole lo- 
cality toward the west. The weather is good and the water 
runs down the sides of the mountains in small rivulets. 
During the hot season the citizens of Beirut spend their sum- 
mer vacation here, and surely they could hardly find a more 
suitable place. 

Before we descend on the eastern side of the mountains, we 
shall observe something regarding the people that inhabit this 
mountain, its valleys and hills. We noticed, especially on the 
western side of the mountain, that a powerful and an indus- 
trious class of people must have established themselves here. 
Their houses are built along the sides just like swallow 's nests. 
Here and there we see cloisters or convents, chapels, villages 
and now and then ruins of desolate fortresses. It is a veritable 
Alpine region up here and this circumstance has had a marked 
influence upon its people. Their principal industry is fruit- 
raising. Some have flocks of sheep and goats. Here we find 
|the very best grapes in the world, and out of these they prepare 
a certain kind of wine, called gold wine, considered to be the 
best in the world. I do not know how it looks nor how it 
tastes, but it must be very good, when the prophet Hosea lauds 
it so very eloquently. "They that dwell under his shadow 
shall return; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the 
vine: the scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon." (Hos. 
14: 7). The whole forenoon, when we passed through these 
region^, we did not forget to eat these good grapes. It was the 
time for the grapes and we made use of the opportunity. 

There are two kinds of people that dwell here, namely the 
Maronites and the Druses. The Maronite Christians belong to 
the Catholic church and live on the principal mountain ranges 
and in the valleys east of Beirut and north of Tripolis. The 
region, where most of them dwelt, is called Kesrauan. They 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



have many ministers who exert a great influence upon the 
people. The ministers are divided into two classes, higher and 
lower. The former are not permitted to marry, but the latter 
are given this privilege.. The higher class of ministers are 
bound by the rules of the convent of St. Anthony, namely 
chastity, and obedience. There are about 20,000 of them and 
they live in convents here and there in these mountains. 

But let us not forget that the Maronite monks cannot pass 
their time away in idleness and negligence ; they must till the soil 
1 around the convent and secure their support from the labors of 
their hands. Every convent is in reality a farm and every village 
has its bishop. The bishops are bound by the law of celibacy. 
They choose the Patriarch and their election is confirmed by 
the pope at Rome. The Patriarch lives in the valley of Lebanon, 
southeast from Tripolis. Not far from the seat of the Patri- 
arch is the large village of Eden. About ten miles from here 
^are the large cedars of Lebanon. They are also called the 
cedars of Solomon and are seven in number. The largest of 
/these trees has a circumference of 32 feet. At no other place 
on Lebanon do we find such old cedars. 

The history of the Maronites is hidden in the dim past. 
They received their name from a monk named Maro, who 
in the fifth century — according to other sources he died 
in 707 A. D. — gathered a part of his like-minded brethren 
into a separate church. They recognized Maro as their head 
and accepted the monotheletic doctrine of Christ ; i. e. they saw 
in Christ two natures but one will. The members of this 
church were called Maronites and they yet hold that Christ has 
only one will. 

The monotheletic doctrine was fought out in the seventh 
century and we recollect that the Emperor of Constantinople 
believed in this doctrine. The little group of Maronites suc- 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



ceeded in defending themselves against the attacks of the 
Greeks and the Mohammedans. They fought bravely with 
their swords and conquered. During the time of the Crusades, 
they came in contact with the people of the west, and their 
culture. The Roman church did all it could to bind them to 
this church. It was during that time, that they joined them- 
selves to the Roman See, but they did not give up their 
peculiarities. It was not before 1736 that they became united 
to the church of Rome. They retain both wine and bread in 
the communion, the right for the bishops to elect the Patriarch, 
the right to read the mass in the Syrian language, the right for 
the lower clergy to marry, the right to canonize the saints, and 
some other privileges. They are ardent supporters of the 
church of Rome and have succeeded in securing some political 
rights for themselves from the civil authorities. They did not 
have the right for some time to ring the church bells in these 
sections, but the Maronites did not give in, until they did 
receive this privilege. 

Now you can hear the tones of the pealing church bells in 
these mountains and valleys, and it was a treat to hear them 
call to devotion. It was Sunday. 

The Maronites are about 350,000 in number, and are 
scattered all over the Lebanon, from Damascus to Beirut, and 
from the sea of Galilee to the Mediterranean. About 50,000 
of them are ready for military service. Every Maronite car- 
ries a weapon, and when it becomes necessary, all of them are 
warriors and defend their country and their rights with heroic 
courage and bravery. They speak the Arabic language, and 
as to their customs, habits, dress, etc., they belong to the Arabic 
people. They look very strong and some of them are quite 
beautiful in appearance. They are very cordial to other 
people, especially to European tourists. They are hot tem- 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



pered and among them you will find some of the most 
persistent beggars. 

The other people who live in these mountains are the 
Druses. Their early history is very little known and several 
authors have tried to explain their origin. There are many 
questions regarding their ethnographic condition that must be 
left unanswered. Though they speak the Arabic language as 
well as it is spoken in Macca; it is quite certain that they do 
not, with the exception of certain families here and there, 
belong to the Semitic peoples. It has been claimed, that a part 
of them belong to the Indo-Germanic branch. Others have 
tried to prove that they originate from the Crusaders, and that 
their name is derived from a certain Count by the name Dreux. 
According to this idea a certain group of the Crusaders were 
left in these regions, and in the course of time they forgot their 
country, their language, and their confession. This is only an 
hypothesis. A certain author, a Jew, Benjamin of Tudela 
(1173) speaks of the Druses in his annotations, and this proves 
that they were there already at the time of the Crusaders. 
This settles the question. 

Their own traditions unite them with the Chinese people, 
where they believe themselves to have fellow believers, and 
from them they look for a deliverer. From a religious point 
of view their teachings are the most peculiar concoction that 
can be imagined. The principal character in the religious 
system of the Druses is Hakim Bihamrillahi, who is said to have 
lived in Egypt about 996 A. D. He was a crack-brained man. 
He was a bloodthirsty tyrant and determined to burn the city 
of Cairo, but some time afterward his dead body was found in 
the Mokattam mountains, east of Cairo. 

Who could for a moment believe, that such a character 
would be made a god for a people. It sounds unreasonable 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



and yet that is the case. The Druses believe that there is one 
God, but that this God has revealed himself in different incar- 
nations, in Ali, Albar, Alys, Moil, Kaim, Maess, Asis, Abu 
Zecharajah, Mansur, and Hakim. No more incarnations can 
come to pass. Hakim is the last. This religion is a compo- 
sition of Mohammedanism, Judaism, and Christianity. 

The Druses do not permit polygamy, but it is very easy to 
secure a divorce from the wife. The ceremony at marriage is 
very much as among other Oriental people. The bridegroom 
does not often see his wife, before he is married to her. The Druses 
endeavor to educate their people and even their women can 
both read and write. The condition among them is quite dif- 
ferent from that of the other people of the Orient. They keep 
their religious writings very sacred, and are advised to kill him 
who keeps their sacred writings, if he is a person outside of 
their religion. But although they are so very particular and 
keep their sacred writings with such great care, yet some of 
their writings have been brought to Europe. In this way their 
religion has become known in other parts of the world. 

Bloody feuds have occurred time and again between the 
Druses and the Maronites here on Lebanon. They are old 
enemies. They consider blood vengeance a sacred duty. In 
1860 there was a fearful feud among these peoples. The 
Maronites were the losers. The Druses were determined to 
extirpate their opponents. The Greeks and Catholics were not 
spared and the Turkish Government looked upon these things 
with indifference, giving their support to the murderers. The 
real author of this awful massacre was the Governor of Damas- 
cus, Sheik Halebi, and the Governor Kurchid of Beirut. The 
religious wars in history have always been the bloodiest, and 
that was the case with the war of 1860 between these peoples. 
The fearful condition during the massacre on Lebanon is be- 



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yond description. The massacre in Damascus began in July, 
1860, and was kept up continually for five days. In the 
Christian quarter of Damascus 3,000 houses were burnt, and 
6,000 of the Christian population, which numbered about 30,000, 
were killed. Achmed Pascha, the Governor of Damascus, sat 
calmly in his palace and it is claimed that he had a Turkish 
music band to play for him, so that he would not hear the cries 
and the groans of the dying. Then the powers of Europe awoke 
and there was to be an investigation. But alas for the 
role played by the Christian powers! The English defended 
the Druses, the nefarious murderers, and since the powers of 
Europe had their interests here and there, they let this matter 
pass. The Sultan was polite enough to promise a fair investi- 
gation, and to exact proper retribution, but all he did was to 
hang Achmed Pascha in Damascus. The others were left un- 
punished. 

I passed over the battlefields of the Maronites and the 
Druses, where so much human blood has soaked the earth. 
And this has been done in these mountains, the emblem of 
beauty and youth. With the exception of us two, Mr. Fisher 
and myself, there were only Mohammedans in the car where we 
were sitting. Some were well dressed, and were very gentle- 
manly in their behavior. I remember particularly one man, 
dressed in a black gown with a white cap on his head. He was 
very polite and kind. I suppose that he was a priest. I met 
this man in the hotel at Damascus, where many other Moham- 
medans were with him. But I did not pay so much attention 
to the people on the train as I did to the scenery outside and 
around us. Lebanon means the white mountain and the reason 
for the name is this ; that white lime stones are jutting out from 
its sides. It might also be called the white mounain from the 



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fact that it i& white with snow, for seven months of the year, 
in certain places. 

In ancient times the Hivites were living here. In the time 
of Solomon, Lebanon, as it seems, was under the dominion of 
Hiram, the king of Tyre, because it was this king that 
furnished cedar trees for the Solomonic temple in Jerusalem. 
It would seem from other parts for the Scripture, that Lebanon 
belonged to Solomon, at least in part, because he built a house 
here. (I Kings 9: 16; II Chron. 8:6.) When the temple was 
built in Jerusalem, during the time of Ezra, cedar trees were 
brought from Lebanon to Jaffa for this purpose as we see in 
Ezra 3 : 7. 

When the psalmist describes the life of the righteous, he 
says, ' ' The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree : he shall 
grow like a cedar on Lebanon." (Ps. 92: 12.) Well, here I 
saw, how the cedar trees grew, and it was a pleasure to behold 
how they flourished even in this dry fall month. It is a true 
emblem of the godfearing soul. But we do not need to go to 
the top of Lebanon to see the truth of the psalmist's word. 
You will see it everywhere in the Christian world, where souls 
live in communion with God. 

But let us now follow our train down the eastern slope of 
Lebanon. As we do so, we pass through several tunnels. 
When we come to the station El-Mredjat, we have a most 
excellent view of Coelosyria, and on the other side we see the 
Antilebanon range in majestic grandeur. It runs parallel with 
Lebanon. From this place you can see Hermon to the south- 
east (Djebel esh-Scheik). This mountain is about 9,000 feet 
high, and an eternal snow covers some of the peaks. Our train 
winds down the eastern side of the mountain, and we are soon 
at Muallaka, a large Mohammedan village. It is the principal 
village in Coelosyria. Not far from this village is the beautiful 



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town of Sahle with about 15,000 inhabitants, of whom the most 
are Grecian Christians. Here is a Protestant school, which 
belongs to the church of England. During the massacre in this 
village in 1860 all men were killed, but the women were nobly 
protected from the attacks of the Kurds. This is a splendid 
trait with the Druses that they show regard for the women. 
From the town of Sahle runs a river, Burduni, down the val- 
ley to the station, and on the plain near by it unites with the 
Leontes, the Nahr Litani of the ancient world. The springs of 
this river are found to be quite near Baalbek and run south- 
ward through the valley. Not far to the north of the city 
another river has its fountain. It is the river Orontes. The 
highest point in this valley is consequently here near Baalbek. 
We are now on the plain which extends between these moun- 
tains. It is a very rich plain and great harvests are gathered 
here. We see fields along the railroad where the cattle are now 
grazing. It is a very picturesque plain. In the springtime it 
must be a veritable paradise. 

The plain here is about 3,000 feet above the level of the sea. 
This plateau is not very thickly populated, but as you go along, 
you see villages here and there, and from the appearance of 
the huts you get the impression that poverty rules supreme. 

Soon we are at Baalbek, the city of the sun-god, the old 
Heliopolis. I had read a great deal about the enormous ruins 
at this place, but I had no idea that they were so immense. 

Is this city spoken of in the Bible? Some have supposed 
that Baal-Gad, spoken of in Joshua 11 : 17 has reference to the 
city of Baalbek, but the addenda, "at the foot of Hermon" 
shows conclusively, that this has reference to Banias. Others 
have thought, that Baalat, mentioned in I Kings 9 : 17-19 refers 
to Baalbek. 



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This statement is quite confusing, because Tadmor is here 
put together with Baalat, and then it is united with Gezer, 
which was located in the land of the Philistines. Flavius 
Josephus informs us that Baalat was located not very far from 
Gezer. We believe that the passage in Amos 1 : 5, where the 
prophet speaks of Aven, has reference to Baalbek. In this 
Scripture passage we read, "I will break also the bars of 
Damascus and call off the inhabitants from the plain of Aven, 
and him that holdeth the scepter from the house of Beth-Eden : 
and the people of Syria shall go into captivity, unto Kir, saith 
the Lord." 

Now Amos was born in Judea, but prophesied in Israel, 
and it is reasonable to suppose, that he here uses the name Aven 
to signify Baalbek, because the name Aven signifies idolatry, 
sin, and even jealousy. He spoke of Aven and compares it to 
Damascus, and says that it was located in a valley. Coelosyria 
is also called valley (Buka), and it is quite clear that he points 
to Baalbek. Syria was the home of the sun-god and its chief 
seat was Baalbek. Because of this, Amos called this valley the 
valley of idolatry and declared, that God's judgment shall 
come upon it. 

We do not find absolutely reliable testimony about Baal- 
bek, until we come a little before the birth of Christ. Then it 
is called Heliopolis, the city of the Sun. Josephus tells us, 
that General Pompey on his march to Damascus went to 
Heliopolis and Chalcis. (Jos. Ant. 14: 3: 2). Ptolemaeus desig- 
nates Baalbek as one of the cities in Coelosyria and Pliny says 
that it was located at the fountain of the river Orontes. Some 
other authors mention this city at that time. 

Regarding its history, a great deal of information has been 
received from inscriptions of the ruins of Baalbek and from 
the coins of that time. The city is called Heliopolis on coins 



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that- were made in the time of Nerva (98 A. D.) and Hadrian 
(138 A. D.) On the earlier coin there is no temple, but on the 
later, made in the time of Septimus Severus (211), a temple is 
portrayed with ten pillars, and this corresponds with the tem- 
ple at Baalbek. Because of this some have drawn the con- 
clusion, that the great temple in Baalbek was built during the 
reign of Septimus Severus. There are a good many indica- 
tions, however, that the temple in Baalbek was built by the 
early emperors of Rome. 

But now a few words as to the sights in this city. Indeed, 
the ruins are so great, that they surpass description. Here we 
observe first of all the great subterranean vaults, the gigantic 
walls around the temple, the hexagon court, a square court, 
and then the temple proper, or as it is called, the temple of the 
sun. There is, a little to the south of this temple, a smaller one, 
called the temple of Jupiter, and it is much better kept than the 
large temple. 

Now as to the subterranean vaults we must say that they 
are really masterpieces in themselves. They are built of very 
large stones and if we were not in Baalbek, we would say that 
they are gigantic. We went through these vaults ; and you are 
simply struck with amazement, when you walk through them. 
The walls around the temple are also very large. It is surpris- 
ing to see these large blocks of stones, one on top of the other, 
resting on the wall. The stones on the north side of the sun 
temple are the largest. Nine of these stones are each 31 feet 
long, 13 feet thick, and 9 and a half feet wide. The stones in 
the western wall are still larger. The largest stone is 64 feet 
long, 13 feet thick and 13 feet wide. You will get an idea of 
what this temple has been once upon a time, when you con- 
sider the dimensions. The temple is nine hundred feet long 
with the courts. The temple proper is two hundred and eighty- 

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seven feet long, and one hundred and fifty-eight feet wide. A 
high wall surrounded the whole temple and on the inner side of 
this wall was the real temple, surrounded by fifty-four pillars, 
which were sixty-two feet high. I measured one of these 
beautifully hewn pillars and the circumference was twenty-one 
feet. Of these pillars there were only six left on the west side 
and three partly broken on the east side. A part of the pin- 
nacle of these pillars, which formerly covered them all, is 
fourteen feet high, and is still found on these six pillars. These 
pillars were hewn in Corinthian style. The tourist is simply 
struck with amazement, as he stands among them. These pil- 
lars, and we might say, everything that was used in this temple, 
was made of a yellowish stone. The entrance of the temple is 
on the east side. Now there is no stair any more in front. 
This has been taken away a long time ago. The stair must 
have been very high. From the stair you enter into the large 
hall or inclosure, at the eastern end of which there were ten 
pillars. They are all gone. Nothing is now left of them. 
Only the foundations show where they have stood. On two of 
these pedestals were Latin inscriptions, which are not legible 
any more. They were copied in 1751 and in this way they have 
been spared for posterity. Both these inscriptions are prayers 
to the great gods in Heliopolis that they might protect the 
Emperor Antonius Caracalla (217), the son of Septimus 
Severus and his mother, the Empress Domna. From these 
prayers we learn that this temple has been a pantheon. The 
sun was the principal god in Syria, and because of this the 
temple received the name Sun temple. Now because of the 
above mentioned inscription some have believed that Antonius 
Pius built the little temple and Septimus Severus the larger. 

A certain author by the name of John Malala from 
Antioch, who lived in the seventh century, informs us that 



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Antonius Pius (161) built in Heliopolis by Lebanon a temple 
to the honor of Jupiter, one of the greatest wonders of the 
world. 

Let us now continue our wandering in the temple. From 
the directions above mentioned we come through a gate into a 
court, which is in the form of a hexagon. From here we come 
into another court, where the altar is located. This court is 
390 feet long and 330 feet wide. Even this court was sur- 
rounded by a row of pillars, which are now broken to pieces. 
Broken pillars are found all along the walls. Within the court 
is found a certain so-called basilica, of which parts only are 
left. This basilica dates from the earlier centuries of the 
Christian church. Within this basilica is a large altar for 
sacrifices and it is a very large one indeed. Here the animals 
were sacrificed to the glory of the gods. On both sides of this 
basilica are dams for fishes. From this basilica is the entrance 
to the temple proper, the Sun temple. 

Having wandered about this wonderful ruin, we went to 
see the Jupiter temple, which is quite near the Sun temple. 
This temple is called the smaller, but it is not so small. It 
measures 222x120 feet. The building within the pillars is 
155x84, and there is only one entrance, which is quite well pre- 
served. This building has no roof and has, perhaps, never 
had any. In this building, which is also called the Baccus tem- 
ple, is a picture of the German Emperor on the wall, and an 
inscription shows that he made excavations here in 1900-1903. 
These excavations made it possible for the tourist to get an 
idea of these ruins. The Emperor himself visited these ruins 
in 1898. 

When we went out of the building, we noticed the beautiful 
work on the stones in the gate posts. Here you find hewn out 
in stone the most beautiful grapes, heads of grain, and statues 



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of men and women. But the nudity is very offending. "While 
I walked around in this ruin, an immense monument from a 
heroic age, I thought of the changes that have taken place at 
this city and in this valley. When the temple was in use and 
thousands worshipped therein, how different this valley looked ! 
But now there is ruin and desolation everywhere. And what 
changes from a religious point of view ! In brief, the story is 
as follows : 

Even in this stronghold of heathenism, Christianity became 
victorious, although it was slow work. Constantine the Great 
built a very large church, and here was a seat for a bishop. 
Some believe that Constantine rebuilt this temple into a 
Christian church. Not far from this there is a ruin of a large 
building, and that ruin may possibly be the church of Con- 
stantine. During the Diocletian persecution the Christians 
suffered a great deal here, and even during the reign of Julian 
the Apostate, the heathens attacked the Christians and fearful 
acts were committed against the women, who had been dedi- 
cated to the Lord's service here in Baalbek. 

The Arabs took Syria in 636 and the whole country fell under 
the rule of the Crescent. For three hundred years we hear 
nothing of this place and when it again appears in history, it is 
called Baalbek. The Arabs changed the temple of the Sun into 
a fort. Earthquakes have time and again damaged this build- 
ing, and yet it has stood the gnawing of the tooth of time in a 
most wonderful way. 

But we must now leave this mass of ruins, although I 
would have liked to stay here for days to study them. As we 
returned, we saw a Venus temple not far from the old Sun 
temple. It had been excavated lately. 

As we come out on the street, we are met by a crowd of 
half naked and dirty children, who held out their hands and 

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cried out, "Bakschisch, ja, chawadje, ana bakschisch, " (A 
present, Mister, give a present). We looked at them and 
stretching out our hands, said in return, "Atheni bakschisch." 
The poor children laughed and turned away. 

About two-thirds of a mile from the temple is the stone 
quarry, whence the stones were taken for these buildings and 
walls. I went to the quarry and saw an enormous stone, which 
has been cut loose from the mountain. One end of it was raised 
a little. I measured the stone, and it was 69 feet long, 15 feet 
wide and 17 feet thick and weighed about 11,000 tons. They 
have figured out, that it would require 40,000 men to move it. 

Having seen this huge stone, we went to the station. 
There were three in the company, Mr. Fisher, an Arab, whom 
we had engaged as a guide, and myself. When we came to the 
station, there arose quite a dispute between our guide and the 
boy whom he had engaged to take care of our baggage at the 
station. They quarreled as only Arabs can quarrel and the fire 
of wrath was burning in their eyes. The boy, who watched 
our baggage, received only a few piasters, and our guide took, 
of course, the greater part of the sum, which we had agreed to 
pay him for the whole work. Mr. Fisher said, that they did 
this for a purpose, so as to make us give the boy a lot of 
bakschisch. They are rascals, these Beduins, and you cannot 
depend on them. 

There is our train coming forth between the trees and 
houses beyond Baalbek. It was late. We had to bid farewell 
to the ruins in this very interesting place. Think of the won- 
derful temple built here so long ago, and think of the ruins, 
now for every year sinking deeper into the ground. All this 
is something for us frail beings to observe and take notice of. 
For like these masterpieces of the ancient world we too are 
destined to crumble and go down into the ground. Let us not 



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forget that the people who built this temple were a most intelli- 
gent people and because of this they were able to put up such 
a structure. But a study of these ruins makes it clear that 
intelligence alone does not avail ; we need something more than 
that. We need the preserving salt, which is found in the doc- 
trine of the Man from Nazareth. 

These thoughts occupied my mind, as our train was run- 
ning back to Rajjak. Here we had only time to change trains 
and go on to Damascus. We did not even have time to take 
our supper. As I was about to board the train, a group of boys 
came and took hold of my baggage, and it actually began to 
appear as though the baggage belonged to them and not to me. 
I had to get hold of a stick and chase these boys away, because 
of their persistency. We now went up to the top of the 
Antilebanon in a clear moonshine, as beautiful as I ever saw. 
It did not take us long before we reached the city at the foot of 
the Antilebanon, the ancient city of Damascus. It was 11 
o'clock in the evening when we came to the station in Damas- 
cus. 

Damascus is located at the foot of the Antilebanon 
mountain range, on the Abana river. This river is now called 
Barada. It starts high up in the Antilebanon mountains, flows 
down through this city and is lost in the sand on the plain of 
Damascus to the southeast. In the city the river is mostly 
covered over and you can see it only here and there. It is 
taken into houses, fountains, and you see water bubbling 
everywhere. 

Another river, which is mentioned in the Bible, is called 
Parphar, or by its present name, Awai. It flows down the Her- 
mon mountain into the eastern plain and in ditches it sends its 
waters to the gates of Damascus. Around Damascus there are 
numerous orchards and plantations, and when you look down 



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from the hillsides of Antilebanon, the whole city resembles a 
huge plantation. The only difference is that you see, here and 
there in between the trees, the minarets of the mosques. You 
find fruits and vegetables of nearly all kinds in this most excel- 
lent soil. 

Historically Damascus has had a prominent place. It is 
mentioned in Genesis 14 : 15, in connection with the expedition 
of Abraham, who pursued Chedorlaomer, overtook him, con- 
quered him at Hoba, north of here, and brought back his 
nephew Lot. From Damascus came Eliezer, the servant of 
Abraham. (Gen. 15: 2). During the time of David this city 
is spoken of again. In the war against Hadarezer David was 
victorious over the Arameans in Damascus, and made them pay 
tribute. (II Sam. 8: 5-6). Rezon became a leader of a band, 
and they made him king of Damascus. During the reign of 
the son of Benhadad I and his successor Benhadad II (920-890), 
Damascus and Syria rose into prominence. 

After the battle of Issus 333 B. C. the city fell into the 
hands of one of the generals of Alexander, the Great Parmenas. 
Then again, when the kingdom of Alexander was divided into 
four parts, Seleucus Nicator ruled over Syria with Damascus 
as capital city. Since 85 B. C. the Arabs have ruled over 
this city, and hence it was that Aretas, King of Petra, also ruled 
over it. About 65 A. D. the city came under the Roman govern- 
ment, but it was not until 105 A. D. that Syria, through the 
Emperor Trajan, became a Roman province. 

When King Herod ruled over Coelosyria, he built a theatre 
in Damascus, a bathhouse, and several other public buildings. 
A great number of Jews now moved into this city, and it is 
claimed that Nero killed 10,000 Jews in this place. 

Christianity came quite early to this center. We read in the 
Acts of the Apostles that Paul, having been present at the 



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stoning of Stephen, went to Damascus to hunt up the Christians 
in that city, and bring them captive to Jerusalem. These events 
are supposed to have taken place about 37 A. D. It was early 
in the first century that Christianity was preached in Damascus. 
Paul had found, outside of the gates of Damascus, him who made 
all things new for him and made him a new man with new 
aspirations. Having been converted and received into the com- 
munion of the Christians in Damascus, he began to preach this 
new doctrine. Now he went for some time into Arabia, but 
returned soon and tried to convince the Jews and Gentiles also 
that Jesus was the promised Messiah. Here he remained for 
three years. (Gal. 1: 17-18). Toward the end of these three 
years King Aretas was the ruler over Damascus. This king's 
daughter was married to Herod Antipas, who ruled over Galilee 
and Perea. When Antipas was banished in 39 A. D., it is be- 
lieved that Emperor Caligula in Rome gave Damascus to Aretas 
as a present. 

Now the governor in that city sought to please the Jews, 
and put guards at the gates so as to get hold of Paul. Then it 
was that Paul was let down over the wall in a basket. 

Very early in the first century there was a bishop's seat in 
this city, and the bishop was a metropolitan, who with his sub- 
ordinate bishops was present at the meeting of Nice in 325. 
During the reign of Emperor Arcadius (395-408) a heathen 
temple was changed into a Christian church, which had the 
name of John the Baptist, and it is claimed that his head was 
kept in that church. In this city lived a prominent teacher in 
the church, John of Damascus. He died in the convent of Mar- 
Saba, in Judea, 760. His book on "The Proper Development 
of Faith, ' ' still has a great value in the Greek church. 

In 634 Damascus fell into the hands of the Mohammedans, 
and has ever since been under their iron rule. The Califs ruled 

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here from 661 A. D. to 750 A. D., and when they moved to 
Bagdad, where they ruled to the end of the Califate, 1258, the 
city lost a great deal of its prestige. Then the Sultan Saladin 
ruled here from 1174 to 1193, when he died. His grave is still 
shown near the great mosque. The Mongolian chief Timar, who 
because he was lame received the nickname Lenk, from which 
name the Europeans made the word Timurlane, came through 
these regions as a storm, and captured Damascus in 1401. He 
killed all the Christians with the exception of one family, whose 
descendants are said to have lived as late as 1855. Damascus 
was captured by the Sultan Selim I and has been under the 
Turkish rule ever since, with the exception of the years between 
1832-1840. During that time the most terrible rebellion and 
massacres took place here. A writer says regarding Damascus 
in these terrible times : ' ' The Christians in Damascus lived 
under great depression. It was dangerous to be rich, and still 
more dangerous to show the riches. The tourist must find him- 
self in a most humiliating condition; he must not show himself 
in a European dress. He was not permitted to ride through 
the city, but must get off the horse at the gate and lead it, and 
besides, lay aside his weapon. He was altogether in the hands 
of Pascha, because no European government had permission to 
keep a consul here." Such were the conditions here in the 
"good old time." Now the conditions are very much better. 
The city has not grown to any extent during the last decades, 
because merchandise is not now carried as formerly, but passes 
through the Suez Canal. There are now in this city only 200,000 
inhabitants, of whom 20,000 are Christians. Before the massacre 
in 1860 the number of Christians was 30,000. 

But now let us relate some of our observations here. The 
13th of September I awoke quite early and went out to see the 
town. In the forenoon we went to the outskirts at the foothills 



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of the Antilebanon Mountains. Here we had a very good view 
of the city. It has been claimed that Damascus is the oldest city 
in the world, yet while Memphis, Thebes, Nineveh and Babylon 
have rested for thousands of years under the dust of bygone 
ages, Damascus still stands and prospers here on this fruitful 
plain by the Antilebanon. 

We were walking around in the forenoon, so we became 
quite tired, and returned to the hotel for dinner. I secured a 
guide to lead us throughout the city in the afternoon, and to 
show us the interesting places. This man was a good Catholic 
and spoke Arabic, French and Greek. We went first of all to 
the bazaars. On the way to them we saw the tree which the 
Mohammedans claim to have planted when they captured the 
city. It is quite hollow and has seen its best days. 

The bazaars are really covered streets, along which the 
merchants have their stores. Here you have a chance to see 
how they make the things that are offered for sale in the stores. 
Here you see the shoemaker, who works away making his shoes 
or his sandals ; there is the tailor or the saddle-maker, and further 
on you see the carpenter and the tinsmith, etc. The streets in 
these bazaars are not paved, of course. The roofs over these 
streets, which are quite high, make these bazaars look very dark 
and gloomy within. The streets are dirty and crooked There 
are no blocks, as we have had occasion to mention before in 
regard to the city of Constantinople. The Oriental cities are 
very much the same everywhere. We went around in these 
bazaars and observed how business was being carried on here. 
Mr. Fisher bought a few things for his mother, and here I found 
that the merchant gave a liberal rebate. They do not expect to 
be able to sell the goods for the price for which they offer it at 
first. I bought a few things for the folks at home, and then we 
continued our journey on these crooked streets. 



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. Here a man moves along the streets with a basket of bread 
carried on his back or in front of him, as the case may be, and 
calls for customers; there another walks along with a different 
kind of bread and calls out loudly: "Ragif, ja, schubab." (A 
bread, ye young.) Here a man moves along with a can of soft 
drinks at his side; there is another who sells water, cooled in 
snow from Hermon, and while he loafs about, he strikes his 
drinking cups together, so as to attract attention. At the res- 
taurants there are a lot of soft drinks to be gotten. ' ' Ja, halim ' ' 
(gracious God), the milkman calls out, and the fruit seller says, 
"Balak snunak" (Take care of your teeth) ; and it is surely 
necessary to do that, because the fruit that he sells is everything 
but clean. It is a picture to see all this, and he who has seen it 
will never forget it. 

From the bazaar we go to the great mosque, or, as it is 
called, Omajjed mosque. It is located almost in the middle of 
the city. We went into the mosque, of course, and up in the 
minaret to see the town from this elevation ; and truly there is a 
sight to be seen from this place. At the door we must put on the 
sandals, of course, and the colored woman who sits there to put 
them on does it with a mien as important as if she would be a 
queen. Then we went up into the minaret. It was quite a dis- 
tance up there, and I became tired before we came to the top 
story. While we stood there, a muezzin came up and called 
out the hour of prayer. This they usually do five times a day. 
In a singsong tone the following words are spoken: "Allahu 
akbar (four times) ; ashadu an lailaha illallah (twice) ; ashadu 
anna Muhammedar-rasullu 'llah (twice) ; heiya 'ala's-salah 
(twice) ; heya ala'lfelah (twice) ; Allahu akbar (twice) ; la illaha 
ilia allah." This means: "Alia is greatest; I testify, that there 
is no God but Allah ; I testify, that Mohammed is the apostle of 
Allah; come to prayer, come to salvation; Allah is greatest; 



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there is no God but Allah." During the quiet watches of the 
night you hear these words resounding again and again; and 
those who are awake go up and worship Allah. While we 
attentively looked over the city, I heard from a minaret near by 
a number of children sing a song to Allah. It was a monotonous 
song, but I had not then for some time heard the children sing, 
and I must confess that the children's song was refreshing to me. 
Then we went down. On the floor we found very beautiful car- 
pets. Truly the Mohammedans know how to sacrifice for their 
religion. It does not seem to be necessary to urge them so much, 
either, as is the case with many a Christian. 

In this connection I am thinking of that group of deacons 
who came together to find out whether they should advise to 
build a new church or fix up the old one. One deacon said: 
4 4 1 will give so much towards the repairing of the old church." 
Just then a piece of plastering fell down from the roof and 
hit him in the head. Then he thought of his promise and saw 
that the church was in a dilapidated condition, and promised 
to give some more for the same purpose. Then another deacon 
said : " Lord, hit him again. ' ' It does not seem to be necessary to 
urge the Mohammedans so very much, as we must urge some of 
our Christians. 

With sandals on our shoes we walk around in this magnificent 
building. Here and there on the fine rugs we see the Mohamme- 
dans reading their Koran, and while they are reading they sway 
the body back and forth and sing the text in a monotonous tone. 
They are not disturbed by us as we walk along the floor. At the 
door we saw a good many asleep on the ground. I asked the 
guide whether it was permitted to do so always, and he said 
that the poor and needy who have no home and hearth of their 
own are allowed to go into the mosque and rest on the floor. As 
they were sleeping there, I saw these poor people disturbed by 



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vermin, and chasing them from place to place to better pastures. 
Poor people! But this is not the most wretched place to sleep in, 
on these beautiful carpets. 

I also observed, when the hour of prayer came, that the 
sexton went to them with a stick in his hand and roused them, 
telling them to get up and worship Allah. When I saw this I 
reminded myself of a certain custom in some of the churches 
in Europe in former times. There the sexton went around in 
the church with a stick in his hand and awakened them, if they 
fell asleep during the sermon. They still have such sextons 
among the Mohammedans, as it seems. 

This mosque of Omajjed is considered to be the most holy 
in the Mohammedan world, with the exception of the mosque 
in Mecca, Medina and the Omar mosque in Jerusalem. On the 
middle of the floor is a grave. It is said that the head of John 
the Baptist is found in that tomb. Let us recall that this mosque 
was a Christian church until the Arabs came and conquered 
the city. And yet it is not the present mosque. The old mosque 
was burnt down recently, because of a careless workman who 
fixed the roof of the mosque, the 14th of October, 1893. Then 
the roof caught fire and the building was laid in ashes. The 
new mosque has three minarets and open places on three sides, 
where porticoes are built. In the middle of the open space on 
the north side is a flowing well. Religious ablutions are per- 
formed at this well. The Mohammedans have a custom to bathe 
before they perform their religious exercises. 

Tired because of the constant wanderings in the building, 
and having spent some time in the mosque, looking at the writ- 
ings of the Mohammedans in the roof and on the pillars, and 
having observed that the women were present at the religious 
exercises, something that we have not seen before in the Moham- 
medan world, we went out for a little while. When we returned 



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and passed by the mosque, we saw a great gathering of men, 
who had just arrived there to hold their religious exercises. 
There must have been several hundred, and as they were lined 
up, side by side, it looked as though they had been taking gym- 
nastics. In connection with their prayers they swing their 
bodies back and forth, and time and again they bend their 
heads to the ground. 

Now we went out to the street Darb el Mustackim (the 
straight street). It runs through the town from east to west, 
almost through the middle of the city, and it is, as the name 
signifies, quite straight. It was on this street that Ananias was 
walking when he was called by the Lord to visit Paul, who was 
praying for his salvation in the house of Judas. Now it was 
said of Saul, "Behold he prayeth. " We continued our march 
on this street eastward to the end, near by the Roman gateway. 
Here is the Christian quarter, to the north of the street. The 
last street, which turns to the left before you reach the gate, 
leads you within a few minutes to the chapel of Ananias. "We 
pass through a door and come into an open space, from which a 
stair leads down to the chapel. This belongs at present to the 
Roman Catholics. The chapel is built over the crypt, which 
once upon a time was the home of Ananias. It was in this crypt 
that he received the revelation to go to Saul of Tarsus. We 
read in the Acts 9:10-19: "And there was a certain disciple at 
Damascus named Ananias ; and to him the Lord said in a vision, 
Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord. And the Lord 
said unto him, Arise, and go into the street, which is called 
Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul 
of Tarsus : for, behold, he prayeth, and hath seen in a vision a 
man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him 
that he might receive his sight, ..." The reader knows the 
story by heart. This is the story of the conversion of the man 



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from Tarsus, that great opponent to Jesus of Nazareth. In 
that little crypt Ananias kept himself at the time, if the tradition 
is correct, and there is no reason to doubt it. The enemies of 
the kingdom of Christ have sought to explain away this remark- 
able conversion, but no matter whither you turn, the stubborn 
fact of this event is written so plainly and so clearly that there 
is no escape. It is absolutely historical from every point of view. 

Otherwise, whence the sudden change in the life of this man ? 
How did he become so changed that he now hated those things 
that he had loved to do before? From now on, nothing could 
hinder him from laboring for the Master faithfully to the end 
of his days. The natural mind cannot explain this. The words 
of this man are very fitting here: "The natural man conceiveth 
not the things of the spirit of God, for they are foolishness to 
him; neither can he know them, for they must be spiritually 
discerned." (I Cor. 2:14.) Paul did not understand those 
things either, and he had no conception that he had been kicking 
against the goads. But when the light shone from above, then 
all things became clear to him. 

But these three days that he was in the house of Ananias 
were dark days for him He longed for deliverance and it came 
through the message of Ananias. His sins were forgiven, his 
eyes were opened, and he saw a new world before him. Now 
he saw things from a different viewpoint. And now he received 
a new life-mission, for his heart was glowing with heavenly love 
for the Master. On the outside of that gate came a blind, raging 
Saul, who was breathing slaughter and threats against the 
disciples of the Lord; here he had been changed by the grace 
of Christ and became a new man with a new hope, a new vision, 
and new aspirations In his case the words of the Master to 
Nicodemus at Jerusalem find application: "The wind bloweth 
where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst 



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not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one 
that is born of the spirit. ' ' ( Joh. 3:8). Here I am in Damascus, 
on the very spot where these great events took place almost 
two thousand years ago, and this story is told in the sacred Scrip- 
tures all over the world. I felt as though the great spirit of 
the apostle was overshadowing me, and for a long time I went 
around pondering upon these things. Think of the influence of 
this man's life-work! What would the world have been at 
present, if it had not been for the great influence of this man 
of God ! 

In the next place we will visit the home of Ananias, where 
these things took place A Christian woman, who had opened 
the door for us and met us at the gate, showed us around. There 
is something about these women that makes you believe that 
they are Christians. There is such a difference between them 
and the Mohammedans. They did not ask for bakschisch, but 
we gave them, nevertheless, some piasters, and for this they 
manifested their great thankfulness and appreciation. Then we 
went out and continued our wanderings in the ancient city. 
We went back to the straight street which leads to the gate. 
This gate dates from the Roman period, and consists of a large 
door in the middle and two smaller ones at the side. Now the 
middle and the one to the right are closed, and only the one to 
the left is used ; through this door we went out. Outside of the 
gate on the south side of the road is a factory. In this shop, 
where all kinds of furniture are made, such as tables, chairs, 
bedsteads and all sorts of cooking utensils, six hundred children 
are at work. They are from eight to fifteen years old. 

These children work under the leadership of an older and 
experienced man and they make very fine wares, both in metal 
and wood. Most of these children are of Jewish parentage. 
Think of the sight here in this ancient city ! Those poor children 



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sit there and hammer on their kettles, or saw and work on wood. 
Poor children ! It did hurt me to see them sit there and work 
at that age. I asked the foreman if these children were not 
given any time for studies during their childhood, so that they 
might learn something besides this trade. He answered me 
that they are given certain months in the year when they can 
go to school and learn to read and write, and he thought that 
this ought to be enough for them. The children looked very 
intelligent, and you could see what they had done right here in 
the shop. I told the foreman that child-labor is forbidden in 
our country, and he said that he had heard it, but he thought 
that such work as these children were doing would not hurt 
them in the least. Of course, they were given a chance to learn 
a trade, and we must admit that that is a good feature. The 
old Jewish maxim read like this: "He who does not teach his 
child a trade, teaches it to steal," and there is a lot of truth in 
that statement. 

"While we are here on the outside of the eastern gate of 
Damascus, we must see the house of Naaman, the leper. We turn 
to the left and in a few minutes we come to the ruins of a very 
old building. A little to the east of the road is a building called 
the house of Naaman, and it is used as a hospital for leprous 
people. We looked in, as the door was ajar, and there sat a 
number of leprous women, who, with their hands outstretched, 
cried, Bakschisch, chawadje." Poor women, to sit there con- 
sumed by such a disease! But it was a beautiful thought that 
has changed the house of Naaman into a hospital for those 
lepers. It is Christian love that has done this. What would 
this world of ours be without Christian love? 

We return from this side trip and go by the Roman gate 
and turn to the right, walk along the way that leads to the south, 
along the wall of the city, and here and there on the wall we see 



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some towers. The lower part of the wall is of Roman origin. 
At last we come to a gate that is now closed. It is called by the 
Mohammedans Bab Kisan, but the Christians call it Bab Bulas. 
Tradition holds that Saint Paul fled from the city through this 
gate, having been let down in a basket. 

Right opposite this gate there is a building, which is nearly 
covered by a walnut tree, and this little building is the tomb 
of Saint George, who is said to have assisted Saint Paul in his 
flight from Damascus, and given him the necessary help. About 
ten minutes' walk from this place is the Christian cemetery. 
We passed by this as we were walking along the way. Not very 
far from this cemetery is shown the place where Paul was con- 
verted. 

Regarding the place or gate, where Paul is recorded to have 
been let down over the wall, it is very difficult to say anything 
definite. The Turks have built on the wall since they have 
become masters of the city and only a part of the wall is in 
existence. But they are not so particular about exact locations. 
If they do not know where these places are found, they guess 
at them ; others come along and believe that these are the right 
places, and so they are fixed. And it happens that two or more 
places are sometimes shown for a particular saint. And they 
say that he is a poor saint who does not have more than two 
birthplaces. 

I brought along my camera ; and having taken a photograph 
of the traditional window and the wall where Paul escaped from 
Aretas, kept on walking until the road turned to the southwest. 
Here is the great caravan road, leading toward the desert. Along 
this road thousands upon thousands of Mohammedan pilgrims 
have been wandering. They have a long way to go — Mecca in 
Arabia, We followed this road a little distance, met camels by 
the score, asses and donkeys in abundance, and came at last to 



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the Mohammedan cemetery. It was a little better kept than the 
one at Scutari. We sat down a little while and observed how 
the Mohammedan women manifested their sorrow towards those 
who have passed from them. They squatted down by the grave 
and prayed; and, of course, their faces were veiled. As we 
observed those sorrowing women, there came some Dervishes 
along the road, dressed in black gowns, and had high black hats 
on their heads. They marched along very slowly and did not 
observe us in the least, as we sat by the roadside. From this 
place it is not very far to the railroad station, which is located 
on the plain to the southwest of the city. 

As we sat there on this historic ground, I thought particu- 
larly of the man who, about two thousand years ago, came across 
that plain with a very malicious mind towards the Christians. 
But having met the Master, he was struck with blindness and 
led into the city through the Roman gate, not very far from here. 
Tradition holds that Paul came in through the eastern gate, 
and entered the city through it. This does not seem to be to be 
in full harmony with the location. If he came over the plain 
from the southwest — and he certainly must have done that — 
it would seem natural that he should enter the city by the west- 
ern or southwestern gateway. He was found in the house of 
Judas, and tradition points out this house just inside the Roman 
gate, at the western end of the Straight street. If he came into 
the city through the eastern gate, why was it necessary for him 
to go through the city to the western gate? He was blind, and 
no doubt it was difficult for him to move along. They led him 
into the city and it would seem that he would stop at the nearest 
place; and the house of Judas is just inside the gate in the 
southwestern part of the city. 

We had been traveling very much all day; and so we re- 
entered the city through the southwestern gate, took the street 

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car, and went to the hotel. ' 1 Street car in Damascus ! " I hear 
the reader exclaim. Yes, that is the very fact. The streets are 
so very narrow, though, that it is not an easy matter to pass 
through the streets on the street cars. The sleepy, lazy Turks 
seem to enjoy to ride on this kind of vehicle. 

When we came to the hotel, we made preparations for our 
journey through Perea to Jerusalem. We were not so sure that 
it would be safe to go that way to Jerusalem, because the east 
Jordanic country is inhabited by Beduin tribes, and because they 
cannot be depended upon. We tried to find out whether it would 
be possible to secure safe protection at Amman, and we tele- 
graphed to the station agent at that place to find out if we could 
get protection and horses to our destination. We sent the tele- 
gram to the station agent and paid for it ; and although we waited 
a long time, there was no answer. I am quite sure that he put 
the money in his pocket, and let it go at that. That would be just 
like the Turks. Time and again we asked whether we had not 
had any reply from the agent at Amman, but he always came 
with the same helpless, ' ' Non, monsieur. ' ' 

I determined to go to the American consulate to learn 
whether it would be safe to pass through the country between 
Amman and Jerusalem. The 14th of September I went with a 
young man to the consulate. Like other dignitaries the Consul 
lived in a magnificent house. It looked very insignificant on the 
outside, but within it was arranged according to Oriental style. 
In the middle of the inner court, which was surrounded with 
buildings, was a floor of marble. Palms and other trees were 
placed there in abundance. The fountain in the center gave a 
rich supply of water. But lo, there he comes himself, barefooted 
and dressed in a long garment that looked like a shirt. I became 
somewhat embarrassed to find such a representative for my 
country. He looked like a Turk, and I wondered whether this 

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man could speak my language. He became somewhat surprised 
when I addressed him in the American language, and when he 
found out that I was from the United States; and I have no 
doubt that it was because he was dressed in such a fashion. 

As to my question, whether it would be safe to go by way 
of Amman to Jerusalem, he answered that there would be no 
danger whatever. But he said that in order to make certain, he 
would inquire from the governor of Damascus. As soon as he 
had seen him he would come to me and inform me about it, or 
he would send his cavass. 

In the afternoon our Consul came to the hotel, dressed in a 
black Prince Albert coat, and looked like an American in every 
way. He told me that he had been to the governor and he had 
telegraphed to the Kaimakan of Amman to help me in every way, 
as to protection and horses for the journey from Amman. 

I had given this gentleman quite a bit of trouble, and I 
offered to pay him for it, but he did not wish to have any pay. 
I felt somewhat proud of the fact that the governor of Damascus 
would go to such trouble for me. The Consul had been very 
kind and helpful to me, and he did not spare himself to help the 
American stranger. 

In the afternoon we went to see the Mohammedan quarter. 
It looked very much dilapidated and dirt stared you in the face 
everywhere. What a difference between the Mohammedan and 
Christian quarters ! As we came to the Straight street, we 
asked the guide to take us to the house of Judas. This house is 
now a Mohammedan mosque. It was in this place, then, that 
Saul was led that memorable day Nothing is related about this 
Judas, but tradition tells us that Ananias became the Bishop of 
Damascus, and died as a martyr in this city. 

We are now done with our wanderings in this old metropolis. 
As beautiful as it looks when you see it at a distance, so detestable 



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and miserable does it look when you come near it, and have a 
chance to walk along its streets and see it at near range. It is an 
Oriental city and that is enough. 

"Were it not for the rivers Barada and Awai, the country 
around here would be a veritable desert; but now, because of 
the abundance of the water, there is reason for giving this city 
pet names, as the Arabs do. They call it "The Pearl of the 
Orient," "The Paradise," "The Necklace of Beauty," "The 
Feathers of the Peacock," and "The Eye of the East." For 
the poor Arab who is passing the dry and dreary desert, under 
the hot Syrian sun, it means so much for him to come to such 
a place, where he can rest under the shadow of beautiful trees 
and drink cool, refreshing water to his heart's content. No won- 
der that he finds all kinds of pet names for such a place. 

It is not strange that the Holy Scriptures speak of springs 
and wells and flowing waters so often. The men who wrote 
the Bible lived mostly in countries where there was a scarcity 
of water, and hence the value of the fresh and living water, 
as they call it. 



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Chapter X 



THROUGH BASHAN TO HAIFA 

WE went early to bed, so that we might be able to rise be- 
times in order to continue our journey. At half past 
four in the morning we had our breakfast, and then the hack 
stood ready to drive us to the Meidan station, a mile to the 
southwest from the city. 

We boarded the train at six. My worthy reader, you should 
have seen how the coach looked inside. I do not think it had 
been cleaned for the past two or three weeks. But we must not 
be so particular. Let us remember that we are in the Orient. 

The reader is, perhaps, familiar with the fact that there 
are two railroads that pass through Bashan, running parallel 
to each other to Derat, the old Edrei. The line further west, 
called Hauran, was built by a French company. The eastern 
line, which is called Hedjan, has been built quite recently and 
runs in a southerly direction, making two great curves to the 
east. This road runs also to Edrei, Mann, Medina and Mecca. 
As far as I know, I was the first American that had traveled 
over that road, and it was quite strange to be permitted to pass 
through a country having such a remarkable history and such 
a place in the Holy Scriptures. 

The railroad passes over a plateau, which is quite level 
but barren and desolate. As we pass along this plateau south- 
ward, we see orchards and other plantations with small houses 
between them ; but they are dirty and badly kept. Out on the 
plain, not so very far from Damascus, we see in the clear morn- 



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ing air the majestic Antilebanon, and at its southern end Mt. 
Hermon, 9,000 feet high, with snow upon some of its summits. 
This is the Mount of Transfiguration, as we shall see further on 
in our story. Longingly I looked toward the stately mountain 
range. Further on in our journey we shall rest at its foot over 
night. During our entire journey in Bashan we see its high 
head, pointing heavenward. No wonder that this mountain is so 
often spoken of in the Bible ! 

We soon came to a great and level plateau. This is called 
Hauran. It is also called Bashan in the Bible. When the 
children of Israel in the fourteenth century B. C. came into this 
territory, the Rephaites lived on these plains. Further west, 
on a narrow tract of land, east of the Jordan, the Amorites used 
to dwell. In Num. 21:33-35 we read: "And they turned and 
went up the way of Bashan: and Og the king of Bashan went 
out against them, he, and his people, to the battle of Edrei. And 
the Lord said unto Moses, Fear him not: for I have delivered 
him into thy hand, and all his people, and all his land; and thou 
shalt do unto him as thou didst unto Sihon, king of the Amorites, 
which dwelt at Hesbon. So they smote him, and his sons, and 
all his people, until there was none left alive : and they possessed 
his land." In I Kings 4:13 it is related that one of the officers 
of Solomon received, as his part, * ' the region of Argob, which is 
in Bashan, three score great cities with walls and brazen bars. ' ' 
Briefly this country is mentioned in another place in the Scrip- 
tures, and then it vanishes out of history for some time. When 
Bashan again appears in history, it is made desolate by King 
Hazael, during the reign of Jehu (2 Kings 10 :33) . The boundary 
lines of the country are quite well drawn. In the north it ex- 
tends to the foot of Hermon, in the south .to Edrei and Salka, on 
the southernmost branch of Jarmuk, and in the east the moun- 



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tain ridge of Hauran forms the boundary line. The northern 
boundary line from Hermon eastward is not so well indicated. 

Bashan is very fruitful. The very name signifies "fruitful 
soil ' ' ; and when you remember that a part of Bashan, the little 
country of Argob, could bring forth sustenance for sixty quite 
large villages, it must have been quite fertile. From the Bible 
we know that the land of Bashan is renowned by its ' ' Butter of 
kine, and milk of sheep, with fat of lambs, and rams of the 
breed of Bashan, and goats, with the fat of kidneys of wheat." 
(Deut. 32 :14) . The oxen of Bashan are known for their strength. 
(Ps. 22: 13). This country, now so desolate and barren, must 
have been, at least in part, covered with trees, because the oaks 
of Bashan are spoken of in connection with the cedars of Leba- 
non. (Is. 2:13.) From the oaks of Bashan proud Tyre prepared 
its oars. (Hez. 27: 6). But the majestic oak forests are now 
gone, and this has been an irreparable loss to the country. 

The King of Damascus, Hazael, conquered this territory, 
taking both Bashan and Gilead from Jehu, the King of Israel, 
but during the time of Joash the Syrians recaptured their lost 
country, taken by Hazael. During the time of Tiglat Pilezer 
the inhabitants of Gilead were carried away into captivity, 
and it is very likely that the people of Bashan were also taken 
and sent into captivity. 

At the time of Christ this part of the country is divided as 
follows: Gaulanitis, Auranitis, Trachonitis, Batanea, and south 
of Hermon, Iturea. This last-mentioned division is spoken of in 
Luke 3 :1. Philip was tetrarch in Iturea and the land of Tracho- 
nitis. Iturea received its name from Itur, one of the sons of 
Ismael, who settled here. This province is now called Jedur. 
Gaulanitis was located to the east of the Sea of Genesareth. In 
this province there was a city by the name Golan, one of the 

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cities of refuge in the east Jordanic country; the province 
received its name from this city. 

Auranitis was located east of this province, and it seems as 
though it comprehended the same territory as Argob. Auranitis 
signifies the "hollow" country, because it is so full of holes, 
which the inhabitants have dug to gather the rain-water in the 
rainy season. East of this division is Trachonitis. It is very 
rolling and the very name signifies this. Now regarding this 
land we read the following in Josephus: "They (the Trachonite) 
had neither any city of their own, nor lands in their possession, 
but only some receptacles and dens in the earth, and there they 
and their cattle lived in common together. However, they had 
made contrivances to get pools of water, and laid up corn in 
granaries for themselves, and were able to make great resistance, 
by issuing out on the sudden against any that attacked them ; for 
the entrances of their caves are narrow, in which but one could 
come in at a time, and the places within incredibly large, and 
made very wide, but the ground over their habitation was not 
very high, but rather on the plain, while the rocks are altogether 
hard and difficult to be entered upon unless anyone gets into 
the plain road, by the guidance of another; for these roads are 
not straight, but have several revolutions. But when these men 
are hindered from their wicked preying upon their neighbors, 
their custom is to prey upon one another, in so much that no sort 
of injustice comes amiss to them. But when Herod had received 
this grant from Caesar, and was come onto this country, he pro- 
cured skillful guides, and put a stop to their wicked robberies, 
and procured peace and quietness to the neighbouring people." 
(Jos. Ant. 15:10:1.) Trachonitis is the old G-ezur. 

Now Bashan as a country is very little known. Of course, 
travelers have passed through in every direction; but, owing to 
the hostility of the Beduins, it has not been possible to undertake 



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investigations in detail. In the beginning of the nineteenth 
century Europeans crossed over this plain, but they did not dare 
to stay any length, of time to make any research. Among these 
men we might mention Seetzen, Burckhardt, who, disguised as a 
Mohammedan, went around here, Richter, Buckingham and 
others. Certain it is that this country is a rich field for investi- 
gation. The new railroad will render a very great help mate- 
rially in this respect. 

We are now in Bashan and, of course, within the boundary 
lines of the Promised Land. I felt as though I was waking up 
from a sleep, as our locomotive moved onward through these 
historic regions. It is an old country, and yet it looks quite new 
in certain respects. The railroad is the new highway through 
this ancient territory, and at the stations it looks very much as 
it does in our own country, in the wild and woolly west, where 
the railroads are opening up the wild territories. 

When you look at the hovels where the poor people dwell, 
you find them dilapidated and on the point of ruin. Here and 
there you will notice the black Beduin tents ; they live mostly in 
tents on these prairies. These tents look weird and gloomy and 
the more so, when you think of the nature of the people that 
dwell in them. 

But look at the extensive fields of lava stones that are 
scattered in every direction! It is a great field of stagnant 
lava. Along the plain you will notice prism-like hills. They 
were formed in the volcanic times, when the whole east Jordanic 
territory received its present form. The whole field is a volcanic 
region, in whose interior fearful fires have been raging, and in 
the course of time this field with its numerous prisms have 
cooled off. This lava stream covers a very extensive part of this 
plateau, and is full of crevices in every direction. Now and then 
you will notice rich valleys, which in the rainy season looks so 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



beautiful by reason of the abundance of flowers and bushes that 
are found here. 

In these valleys the Beduins find most excellent hiding- 
places, and hither they flee when they have been out on their 
hunting expeditions on the prairies, robbing the caravans and 
travelers who have ventured within their landmarks. El-Ledja 
signifies "refuge," and to those hiding-places these booty-loving 
sons of the deserts have gone for centuries, and there they have 
found a safe refuge. 

Here in these regions we have to look for Uz, the home 
country of Job, where he as a nomad sheik led his flocks and 
cattle to pasture. Here he found "how the Lord gave and how 
he took away. ' ' In these experiences of his he still said : ' * Blessed 
be the name of the Lord." 

Along this lava bed the old Romans opened up a road, and 
you will observe parts of this road along the railroad. It runs 
in a southeasterly direction from El-Mismije to the Hauran 
mountains and along these mountains to Bozra. By the railroad 
we observe also ruins of old cities ; and some of them are so well 
preserved that they could be used for dwelling-places without 
any repairs at all; and in some of them people are still living. 
This desert is very extensive for it covers an area of about 1000 
American square miles — an immense field of lava stones! 

There are some who have held that Moses passed the boun- 
daries of veracity when he, regarding the cities in this part of 
the Land of Promise, says : " So the Lord our God delivered into 
our hands Og also, the king of Bashan, and all his people : and 
we smote him until none was left to him remaining. And we 
took all his cities at that time, there was not a city which we 
took not from them, three score cities, all the region of Argob, 
the kingdom of Og in Bashan. All these cities were fenced with 
high walls, gates, and bars, beside unwalled towns a great 



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many." (Dent. 3:3-5.) When we read the prophecies of Jere- 
miah, we receive the impression that he has gone around among 
these cities of Bashan in onr own days. (Jer. 4:7). In the same 
lamentation Hezekiel joins: "Son of man, eat thy bread with 
quaking, and drink thy water with trembling and with careful- 
ness. ' And say unto the people of the land, Thus saith the Lord 
God of the inhabitants of J erusalem and of the land of Israel : 
They shalt eat their bread with carefulness and drink their water 
with astonishment, that her land may be desolate from all that 
is therein, because of the violence from all them that dwell 
therein. And the cities that are inhabited shall be laid waste, 
and the land shall be desolate ; and ye shall know that I am the 
Lord." (Hez. 12: 18-20). The ancient Rephaim, "the lofty 
men," built these cities. They are generally called giants. In 
the time of Abraham they were living in the highlands of Bashan. 
Their capital, Ashtaroth Karnaim, the two-horned Ashtaroth, 
was taken by the Elamite king, Chedorlaomer, the earliest con- 
querer of the Bible history. This people lost gradually their 
nationality and were merged with the Amorites. Think of it! 
These giants were able to build cities which for thousands of 
years have defied the gnawing tooth of time. These old cities 
still stand there, as a powerful testimony that it was not Israel 
that conquered the land with their own power, but the Lord, 
who fought for His people. 

The people that lived here have passed out of this world 
without writing any history in the proper sense of the word, but 
they have left monuments that will stand for ages. Here you 
can see how they built their houses, how they formed their 
temples, and how they buried their dead, how they sought their 
enjoyments in the theaters and the like — but of their lives we 
know nothing else. Here we can apply the words of Jeremiah: 
"Give wings unto Moab, that it may flee and get away: for the 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



cities thereof shall be desolate without any to dwell therein." 
(Jer. 48: 9). If you wish to know the reason why these cities 
have become desolate, read the Prophets and you will find out. 
Their words have been literally fulfilled. The Lord is not to be 
mocked. 

As we stop at the stations, I notice how they receive their 
friends that come on the train. These Beduins ride on swift 
Arab steeds, and I pity him who thinks he can get away from 
them. These rapacious sons of the desert know no mercy, when 
they meet their enemies out on these desolate plains. Here 
among these people the customs and manners are kept almost 
invariable from year to year, and as they have been doing for 
thousands of years, they are doing now. In ages gone by they 
have crossed these plains as they do now, lived in their miserable 
tents and huts, tended to their flocks as they do now and robbed 
and murdered as at present. The traits of Ishmael still cling to 
them, and as his hand was against every man, so it has been 
and so it is with these Beduins. They consider every man, out- 
side of their tribe, their enemy, and treat him as such. 

And yet you will find a most wonderful and firm friendship 
among them, and this is made manifest in their hospitality and 
willingness to sacrifice for those who come to seek help and 
protection under their roof. I observed how they greeted one 
another with a kiss on the cheek, and it was a pleasure to see 
how the beams of love and friendship sparkled in their eyes, 
when they met at the various railroad stations. They are war- 
riors and continually on the war-path. They always carry a 
gun. Anyone who travels along these plains will wonder how 
they secure a living here; but remember that they have flocks 
and cattle in the valleys and on the hills. That is their richness. 

Beyond Ezra, or as the Romans called it, Zoroa, the lava 
field ceases. The plain here is quite rolling. To the southeast of 



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Ezra lies El-Kunnawat It is the Kenath of the Bible. "We read 
in the Book of Numbers 32:42, that Noba went forth and cap- 
tured Kenath and the adjoining cities, and called it after him- 
self, Noba. This happened when Moses conquered the east Jor- 
danic jountry. 

•The last time it is mentioned in the Bible is two hundred 
years after the conquest. When Gideon pursued the Midianites, 
he went to those who lived in tents, east of Noba ( Jud. 8:11). 
During the time of Herod this city is spoken of again, and is 
then known by its old name. It is then called Kanata or Kana. 
Jesephus informs us that the inhabitants of this city slew the 
soldiers whom he sent out to subdue them. Arabs lived then in 
this locality. Pliny speaks of Kenath as belonging to the De- 
capolis or the Ten Cities. WTien the synod was held at Chalce- 
don in 451, the Bishop of Kenath was present. This city was 
captured by the Arabs and is now controlled by the Druses. 
The greater part of Kenath is now in ruins, which are quite well 
preserved. 

At 11 o'clock in the forenoon we came to Derat, or Edrei, 
the old name. From this place the railroad goes onward to 
Mecca and Medina, but we are going in a northwesterly direc- 
tion to Haifa on the Mediterranean. We are now in the heart of 
the ancient kingdom of the Amorites. Here the Amorite King 
Og, lived, and here he was overcome by the Israelites (Num. 21 : 
33). The city of Edrei was given to Makir, the son of Manasse 
(Jos. 13 : 21) . The town was located in Gilead. The King of this 
territory, Og, had two capitals. The other was Ashtaroth-Kar- 
naim, and was located to the northwest from here. It was con- 
sequently on these prairies that they drew up their armies to 
battle. Israel proved to be victorious. The Lord was with them. 

Among the many cities spoken of in the Tell-el-Amarna 
tablets, Edrei is one. Now, as we happen to mention these won- 



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derful letters, let us give the story of their discovery in brief. 
The discovery of these letters or tablets came as a flash of light- 
ning from a clear sky. In the year 1887 some Arabs happened 
to stumble on a collection of clay tablets at T ell-el- Amarna, an 
insignificant settlement on the eastern bank of the Nile River in 
Egypt, about half way between Cairo and Thebes. The discovery 
aroused great surprise, not only because the letters were found 
there, but also because of the language and contents of these 
tablets. When these letters were translated, these questions 
were satisfactorily answered. There lived during the eighteenth 
dynasty in Egypt (1545-1350) a king whose name was Ameno- 
phis IV (1375-1358). This king resided, to begin with, in Upper 
Egypt. Having been converted to the sun worship, the strong- 
hold of which at this time was Heliopolis or Bethschemesch, the 
On of the Bible, he determined, perhaps at the instigation of 
the priests at On, to move his capital from Thebes to a new place, 
where he would build a new capital city. He selected a place 
on the eastern bank of the Nile and called the new city Ekhut- 
Aton, "the horizon of the sun." Here he made all things new 
and now he must have a new religion. It was a sun worship. 
But the new religion did not last so very long. After the death 
of the old king, Amenophis IV, the old religion revived again and 
in the course of time the splendid city was buried in the sands of 
the desert, and after some three thousand two hundred and sixty 
years, some wandering sons of the desert stumbled on the ruins 
of this ancient city. The library of the king was discovered, 
and in this library the Tell-el-Amarna tablets saw the light of 
day again. But now another question arose, namely, why these 
letters were written in cuneiform writing or script, the script 
of the old Babylonians ? We naturally would look for the hiero- 
glyphic form of writing in the land of the Pharaohs. The reason 
is this : Ekh-en-Aton was by marriage related to the royal family 



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of Babylonia, It appears that the king's mother and grand- 
mother were members of the royal family in Babylonia, and 
hence the language of that country would be spoken at the court 
of the Egyptian king. "We also learn from these tablets, that 
the Egyptian king had given his daughter in marriage to the 
Babylonian king. Because of these intermarriages there was a 
continual correspondence between the royal families. There are 
in all two hundred and ninety-six of these tablets, and they 
throw a powerful light on the Old Testament history. 

These letters contain not only correspondence between the 
royal families of Egypt and Babylonia, but a great many of them 
are from generals in the land of Canaan and adjoining lands. 
These generals are trying to uphold the waning power of Egypt 
in these sections, but they find it exceedingly difficult, These 
letters were written in the thirteenth century B. C. We learn, 
furthermore, that Palestine and the adjoining countries were 
very much pestered with bands of robbers and that the law 
stipulated that that province in which a robbery was committed 
should make good the loss. 

In the Book of Joshua 19 :11 we read of a city by the name 
Hannathon. Xo one knew where this city was located, and 
some doubted that such a town or city ever existed. But now 
the Tell-el-Amarna letters tell us where it was located and that 
a robbery was perpetrated there. About sixty of these tablets 
are from an officer by the name Ribaddi. He is very meek in 
these letters, but the king tells him to write less and fight more, 
and he would be held in better esteem by his king. From these 
tablets we are informed that the authority of Egypt is growing 
less and less in Palestine and Syria, 

In this correspondence there are a great many names of 
cities, spoken of in the Bible, such as Jaffa, Gaza, Sidon, Damas- 
cus and Jerusalem. From the last-named city several letters 

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were written, and this shows the relation that existed between 
Egypt and Syria. In these Tell-el-Amarna tablets several cities 
in the east Jordanic country are mentioned, such as Ashtaroth, 
Bozra and Edrei. It would seem that the Amorites, who moved 
from the mountains of Judah to the other side of the Jordan, 
had not been there long when the Israelites came and occupied 
the land. 

One of the letters, which according to some authors, is 
written about one hundred and fifty years before the exodus, is 
from the governor of Zivi-Basana, the field of Bashan. Their 
authority over the land did not last very long then. 

The town of Derat is located at the southern edge of Wady 
Zedy, and over the river in this valley, a tributary to Hieromax, 
a Roman stone bridge is built. There are 3,000 inhabitants in 
this town; it is a seat of a Kaimakan, and a garrison with two 
companies of infantry is located here. But the city, which we 
now find here is not the Edrei of King Og, because the present- 
day city is built on the ruins of the old one, which was a sub- 
terranean village. The first traveler who in these latter times 
visited the vicinity and discovered the old city was Wetzstein, 
who in 1858 investigated the subterranean labyrinths. Here 
he found, cut out in the solid rocks, streets, stores, market-places 
and dwelling-places, but he could not, because of the guide who 
had the matches, continue his investigations here, and he was 
afraid that he might not be able to find his way out again, 
when he had no light. 

The houses in Derat are made of clay and stone, and are 
very low and dingy-looking. The station is located to the north 
of the valley. Here around the station we saw a lot of Beduins. 
Here they stood in great numbers around the station, dressed 
in their Arab garbs, mantel and turban. This much became 
evident to me, that it would not be an easy matter to get away 



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from these wild hordes, if you should meet them on the prairies 
alone. One of the Beduins came into our car and asked me to 
take a picture of him. I went out with him and took a snap-shot 
of him and I went into the car. Then he came into the car and 
wanted to have a picture. And when I did not give him any — 
and how could I do it? — he wished to take away my camera by 
force. He became very stubborn and I had to chase him out of 
the car. He asked me to print his picture on a piece of paper 
that he gave me. That much the poor Beduin understood about 
photography. 

The scenery here is very rich and romantic. To the east is 
the mountain range of Hauran, and to the northwest is the 
majestic Hermon, clearly visible from this plain. To the south 
of us is a great plateau, and beyond this the mountains of Gilead 
extend their high peaks skyward. On this plain are the ruins 
of many cities whose names are mentioned in the Holy Scriptures. 
To Bozra you can go in about six hours. A very old road from 
the Roman times leads to that historic town. It is one of the 
remarkable cities in Hauran, and is in a very good condition, 
especially the high fortress in the southern part. The greatest 
period in the history of this metropolis seems to have been the 
Roman period. When the Emperor Trajan set out on his 
warlike expedition against the Parthians, he captured it, and it 
became a capital for the whole territory round about. It became 
so prominent that it gave occasion for a new era, called Era 
Bostriana. It was in vogue east of the Jordan, and began with 
the year 106 A. D. The Christian doctrine was introduced very 
early in this place. Bozra became the seat of a bishop, and had 
at one time not less than twenty-three sub-bishops. The city 
has been in the hands of the Mohammedans since 634 A. D. 

We are now in a territory which has been called Decapolis, 
or the Ten Cities. Besides Kenath, mentioned above, the follow- 



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ing cities belong to the Deeapolis: Damascus, Philadelphia, 
Gadara, Gerasa, Pella, Hippos, Dion, Abila and Skythopolis on 
the other side of the Jordan. At 11 o'clock we leave Edrei and 
start out on the naked and rolling plain. We do not see a single 
tree; everywhere the prairie is barren and desolate. The train 
follows the Wady Zedy in a northwesterly direction. Old cara- 
van roads follow the railroad, and small groups of camels wander 
along these roads back and forth. After a while Mt. Gilead rises 
very majectically to the southwest. Soon we come to a town. 
Our train turns to the left into a very stony country. Here are 
a great many camels marching onwards to Edrei. And no 
wonder, it is the main road to Mecca. Still we have Wady Zedy 
to the left, and to the right the deep Wady-Sikake. These two 
valleys are united a little beyond this point. The caravan roads 
are found on both sides of the valley, and along these roads 
herds of goats, sheep and asses are grazing in great numbers. 
Our train runs in all kinds of bends and crooks, and finally 
goes down in a deep valley, and then crosses a high bridge. 
The country here reminds us very much of the Alps, and is 
scenic in a marked degree. High mountains rise on both sides 
of the valley. There is the Jarmuk River down in the valley, but 
very little water is found in it at this time. 

Our train is speeding along. To the left of us we have 
Gilead, and on the other side of the river lies Gaulanitis. The 
River Jarmuk is the boundary line between these countries. 
The Arabs call this valley, in which the river flows, Scheri 'at 
Menadire, after the Beduin tribe, Arab el-Menadire. As we are 
following the river in its downward course, we have occasion 
to see quite beautiful waterfalls. Along the river there are 
flocks of sheep, and we notice the shepherds with their two staffs, 
one long and one somewhat shorter. This reminded me of what 
the prophet says: "And I took unto me two staves, the one I 



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called Beauty, and the other I called ' Bands ; and I fed the 
flock." (Zech. 11:7.) Seeing the shepherds and their flocks, I 
thought of the words of the psalmist David: "The Lord is my 
shepherd ; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green 
pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters." (Ps. 23:1-2.) 
But why would it be necessary to have two staves? For the 
reason that there are wild animals that would come into the 
flock to kill and destroy, and the shepherd would use the longer 
staff to drive away the wild animals, and the smaller one he 
would use in driving the lambs to green pastures. Some one has 
said that the longer staff signifies the doctrine of the blessed 
Gospel, which gives the soul sweet peace in communion with the 
good Shepherd ; the other one reminds us of the brotherly cove- 
nant which will be established where there is a proper relation 
with Christ. For those who do not wish to remain in communion 
with the Lord and His people, but go their own way, this staff 
will become a punishing or chastening rod. The parables, taken 
from the shepherd's life in the Orient, are very numerous and 
instructive. They express the intimate relation existing between 
the soul and the Saviour, and this relation is very well illustrated 
in the shepherd life of the Orient. 

Our train passed down this romantic valley over bridges 
and through dark tunnels. Here and there are pathways leading 
up to the plain. We are now in the western part of the mountains 
of Gilead. They become higher and the wadys deeper and deeper. 
We are approaching the Jordan Valley and the Jordan. To the 
left of us is old Gadara, the capital of Perea. It is situated on 
a plateau to the south east of the Sea of Tiberias. The ruins 
that are now to be seen date from the time of the early Roman 
emperors. Among other objects of interest there are the ruins 
of the theatre and they are quite well preserved. The ruins 
of Gadara are about six miles from Gennesaret, and are very 



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interesting from many points of view. The ancient Gadara has 
been found in the present Uum Keis or Mukes. The ruins are 
located on the top of a hill, and at the foot of this there are 
warm springs. The whole vicinity is called the Land of the 
Gadarenes. The town was founded and occupied by Greeks, 
and for this reason it is called a Grecian city. Around the ruins 
of the old city there are a great many sepulchres, which are 
cut out in the mountain. Some of them are very large, and 
along the sides of these subterranean excavations there are niches 
in which the bodies were laid. From these sepulchres a great 
many sarcophagi have been taken and these have been adorned 
with all kinds of beautiful ornaments. At present these sar- 
cophagi are used as water troughs for the cattle, and these graves 
are sometimes used as dwelling-places for the people. When 
Christ came to the land of the Gadarenes, "immediately there 
met him, out of the tombs, a man with an unclean spirit, who 
had his dwelling among the tombs ; and no man could bind him 
with chains." (Mark 5:1-3). These tombs served as dwelling- 
places for these men, who were possessed with unclean spirits. 

Now the question is this : Is this the city that Jesus visited, 
when he came across the Sea of Gennesaret in a boat to the other 
side of the sea? Let us see. The synoptics relate, that Jesus 
and his disciples came across to the land of Gadarenes (Matt. 8: 
28-34 ; Mark 5 : 120 ; Luke 8 : 26-38) . From these Scripture pas- 
sages we learn, first of all from Luke, that the Gadarenes were 
located on the opposite side of Galilee, and that a man from 
"the city" met him. The evangelist Matthew informs us that 
there were two that met Jesus, and furthermore, that they came 
out of the sepulchres or tombs. When the man, possessed with 
the unclean spirit, saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before 
him and prayed that he might not torment him. The evil spirit 
asked Jesus that he might send them into the swine, "that we 



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might enter them." This herd of swine numbered about two 
thousand, and according to the evangelist Luke, they were feed- 
ing on the mountains. Now, how shall we be able to unite this 
into one story ? And where was the miracle performed ? It is 
clear from the story of the evangelist, that it did not take place 
right near the city, but by or near the shore. 

The land of Gadarenes was located somewhat to the south- 
east from the sea, and from this fact it is difficult to explain 
all the circumstances in connection with the story. To the 
southeast of the sea, there is a little plain along the shore, and 
the swine could not very well throw themselves into the sea at 
this place. But there is another place further north along the 
shore, whither the man could have come from the tombs of 
Gadara to the sea. The miracle took place in the land of 
Gadarenes, and if we suppose that Jesus and his disciples landed 
a little further to the north, the whole story about the miracle 
becomes clear. One thing is certain, and that is, that the great 
Teacher visited this section of the country and performed a 
miracle here somewhere. 

But we must continue our journey. It is in the afternoon 
of the 15th of September, when our train rushes along the valley 
of Hieromax. For a long time I had been standing on the right 
side of the car, watching through the window with the greatest 
attention to catch the first glimpses of the Sea of Galilee. On 
our train were many Arabs, some of them dressed in fur coats 
and a skin cap on their heads; others were dressed in lighter 
garments and turbans. I could not understand how those poor 
human beings could sit there on that hot day with those fur 
coats on. It was so warm that I could hardly be in the car 
that afternoon. But there they sat, holding their guns; some 
fell asleep, others were walking along the aisle back and forth, 
and I had to get out of the way for those dark sons of Bashan. 



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They did not understand why I stood at the window, looking 
out so eagerly over the hills and valleys toward the northwest. 
But soon our train rolls over the bridge that is built over the 
Hieromax River. As the train is turning to the right, it hastens 
over the plain to the south of Gennesaret, and within a few 
minutes I am rewarded for my patient waiting at the car win- 
dow—and lo, there I see right before me the long-expected Sea 
of Galilee. I held the watch in my hand and it was 2 :25 P. M. 
It is impossible for me to describe my feelings in these moments 
of my life. There was the sea, and as my eyes looked over this 
historic body of water and surroundings, and as I thought of 
Him who walked around here, teaching and performing miracles, 
walking over the billows, I received such an impression that 
I can never forget it. No wonder that my eyes were filled with 
tears and these audible words fell from my lips : ' ' Thanks be unto 
Thee, dear Saviour, that I have been permitted to live until I 
could see with my own eyes this sea and its surroundings ! ' ' 

All the passengers on the train, with the exception of Mr. 
Paul Fisher and myself, were Arabs or Beduins from Bashan 
or Galilee. While the train was rolling in at the station Samach, 
at the southern end of the sea, I stood at the window and beheld 
this picture. And how beautiful it appeared to me ! How could 
I sit careless with such a sight before me? But on the other 
side of the car Mr. Fisher was sitting in a seat sleeping. I called 
on him to come and see the Sea of Galilee, but he manifested no 
interest whatever. I called on him several times to come and 
see, but he answered : "Da ist niehts zu sehen ' ' ( There is nothing 
to see), and he sat calm and went to sleep. It was more than I 
could understand, how a man, bearing the name of a Christian, 
could show so little interest in a place where the Saviour of man- 
kind has lived and taught. Perhaps the young man did not know 



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very much of his New Testament, and that would in a measure 
account for his little interest in this wonderful country. 

As soon as the train had stopped, I rushed out with my 
camera, went a little distance to the north of the station and 
nearer the shore, where I had a splendid view of the whole lake, 
and took some pictures. I could not stay long here at this time, 
because the train was ready to go on in a few minutes. I could 
not look on this wonderful panorama until I became satisfied, 
and I determined to go back to these localities again. From 
Samach there is a splendid view of the sea, and you can see the 
northern end and Mt. Hermon very distinctly. Where the 
River J ordan embouchures into the sea there is a deep valley, and 
the surrounding hills appear quite high. To the northwest of 
the lake on a mountain we see the city of Saphed ; on the western 
shore to the northwest from here lies the city of Tiberias, and 
on the northwestern shore of the lake there are the ruins of 
Capernaum, Bethsaida and Chan Minje. I had gotten the idea 
that the mountains, coming down to the shores, were almost 
perpendicular, but that is not the case. The hills and mountains 
slope towards the sea very gently, and here and there are plains 
along the shores. It was a glorious sight, and having once seen 
it, you can never forget it. 

Now to the south of Samach on the plain right by Jordan 
the Arabs were threshing — a performance I had never seen 
before, so that it was quite novel to me. The sheaves were placed 
on the ground in a circle, and they drove oxen with a cart 
over the sheaves; thus they continued until the whole became 
like dross. By means of forks they threw this dross into the air, 
and the wind blew away the chaff and left the grain on the floor. 
Here we think of the words of the psalmist: "The ungodly are 
not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away." 
(Ps. 1:4.) The words of John the Baptist came to my mind: 



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" Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his 
floor, and will gather his wheat into his garner; but the chaff 
he will burn with fire unquenchable." (Luke 3 : 17). It was the 
first time I saw how they went at it, but not the last. The thresh- 
ing season was at hand, and there was an opportunity to see it 
from Dan to Gaza, and from Edrei to the Mediterranean Sea. 

Now when we continue the journey along the Jordan Valley, 
we follow the plain in a southwesterly direction, and at the 
western edge of the plain the railroad crosses the river and 
follows the valley along the western part. The heat was almost 
unbearable, and no wonder, because this valley is 612 feet below 
the level of the sea. We pass an old stone bridge called Djiser 
el-Mud jami (Union Bridge). This name is given to it because 
near by is the union of the two rivers, Hieromax and Jordan. 
We are now on the western side of the river, and begin to ascend 
the hills and come to the ancient city of Beth-shean, which is 
located on the western edge of the Jordan Valley, on a little 
height or prominence, from which there is a splendid view of 
the valley and the mountains of Gilead on the other side of the 
Jordan. Down in the deep Ghor (cavity) there are many black 
Beduin tents. The Beduins come near the river in the dry 
season so as to have easy access to water and pasture for their 
flocks and cattle. 

The dingy town of Beisan, or Beth-shean, is located at a 
little distance from the station to the southeast. The houses 
are made of clay and stone, and are low and rickety. It is 
located on the creek Jalud, which throws itself down over the 
precipice and into the Jordan. The location is quite beautiful 
here at the eastern end of the plain of Jezreel, about four miles 
from the Jordan. Beth-shean was located within the tribe of 
Manasseh (I Chron. 7:29), though it belonged to Issachar. 
(Jos. 17: 11). But the children of Manasseh could not capture 



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this locality, and the Canaanites remained there. (Jos. 17:12.) 
During the time of King Saul they seem to have had the con- 
trolling power, for we read that the Canaanites hung up the 
dead bodies of Saul and his sons on the walls of Beth-shean. 
Then came the inhabitants of Jabesh in Gilead, having walked all 
night, to Beth-shean, took down the bodies from the wall and 
brought them to Jabesh, burnt them and buried them under a 
tamarisk in Jabesh. (I Sam. 31:10-13.) Jabesh is located on the 
other side of the river in Gilead, and therefore it is also called 
Jabesh-Gilead. The men from Gilead wished to return the good 
that the unfortunate Saul had done unto them in past days. 
During the reign of Solomon the children of Israel owned and 
controlled the city. After that time we hear nothing of it until 
after the return from the Babylonian Captivity. The town is 
called Scythopolis. The historian Josephus informs us that the in- 
habitants of Scythopolis massacred 13,000 Jews who lived there, 
by cutting their throats, and then they plundered them. A 
nefarious act. Scythopolis belonged to the Decapolis, and was 
quite a large city at the time when the Romans waged the war 
against the Jews. Now the town has two thousand five hundred 
inhabitants. We saw a great deal of grass on the roofs of the 
houses, and the whole town gives the tourist a pitiable impression. 
The ruins from the olden times are not very numerous. There 
are parts of an ancient theatre, rows of pillars, two old bridges, 
and some tombs cut out in the hill. On the height to the north 
of the ruins of the theatre there is a very good view of the plain 
of Jezreel and the Jordan Valley. On the other side of the river 
lies the ancient town of Pellia, to which the Christians fled while 
Jerusalem was beleaguered by the Romans in the year 70 A. D. 

We did not stop at Beisan very long, but continued west- 
ward on the plain of Jezreel. Now we come into a very historical 
locality, rich in Bible lore. To the left of us rises the Mt. Gilboa, 

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and further west to the right the Little Hermon. We leave all 
these interesting places for the time being, until we shall come to 
them again on our way to the northern part of Galilee. Let us 
mention only a few, as we pass along on the train. To the right 
of us, on the southwestern slope of Little Hermon, is the ancient 
town of Sunem, and to the left Jezreel, the capital city of Ahab 
and Jezebel. The railroad passes between those places on the 
plain. As we pass by Sunem, the beautiful Mt. Tabor comes into 
view towards the northeast. To the southwest of the mountain, 
Nazareth lies on the mountains of Galilee, basking in the sun, 
and to the left, Mt. Carmel rises as a wall towards the Mediter- 
ranean Sea and Haifa. As we approach Carmel, we come near 
the brook Kishon also, for it flows at the foot of this mountain. 
Surely we are right among Biblical places. I could hardly sit 
still in the car, but continually kept looking to the right and 
left, so as to find the various places described in my guide-book. 
I felt as though I had come into a new world, and how could I 
be disinterested in a Bible country like Palestine? On such a 
theme it is impious to be calm. 

Let us note a few things about this long and beautiful 
mountain wall to the left of us. The very name Carmel means 
"park" or "place full of trees." The prophets often mention 
this mountain in their illustrations. We read in Isaiah 33 :9 : 
' ' The earth mourneth and languisheth : Lebanon is ashamed and 
hewn down: Sharon is like a wilderness, Bashan and Carmel 
shake off their fruits," and in Micah 7:14: "Feed thy people 
with thy rod, the flock of thine heritage, which dwell solitarily 
in the wood, in the midst of Carmel: let them feed in Bashan 
and Gilead, as in the days of old. ' ' But the trees on Carmel are 
very nearly gone. Here and there along its sides there are 
small groves of trees, but they are quite small. There are some 
larger trees scattered in between, but they are very few and 



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there are sections where you do not see any trees. This mountain 
was located within the border of Asher, and its southeastern end 
between the tribes of Sebulon and Manasse. Carmel is five 
hundred feet high at its northwestern end by the sea, and its 
greatest height further inland, seventeen hundred feet. Its 
length is about fifteen miles, and extends from the southeast 
to the northwest. Along the sides there are ravines and valleys, 
in which during the rainy season brooks leap down to the plain 
below. There is a good deal of rubbish along the sides of the 
mountain, and this makes it rather hard to climb. In olden 
times Carmel was covered with large forests. It is mentioned 
by some authors of the Scriptures as an emblem of beauty and 
richness, and is compared to Lebanon and Sharon : ' ' The wilder- 
ness and solitary places shall be glad for them; and the desert 
shall rejoice and blossom as a rose. It shall blossom abun- 
dantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of 
Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and 
Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency 
of our God" (Is. 35:1-2), to Gilead and Bashan (Mic. 7:14), to 
Sharon and Bashan (Is. 33:9), and to Tabor (Jer. 46:18). In 
the Songs of Solomon the author says: "Thine head upon thee 
is like Carmel." (Songs Sol. 7:5.) There are many holes on the 
sides of the mountain. They are partly natural and partly dug 
by men. These tomb-like holes have been places of refuge in 
the times of persecutions, and it is, perhaps, this circumstance 
which gave the prophet Amos occasion to speak of them in this 
manner : ' ' And though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, 
I will search and take them out thence, and though they be hid 
from my sight in the bottom of the sea, thence I will command 
the serpent and he shall bite them." (Amos 9:3.) One of these 
holes is yet called the ' 1 Hole of the Prophets, ' ' because it is 
thought that Ahab's governor of the house, Obadiah, hid the 



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prophets here, when his cruel king persecuted them. 
(I Kings 18:4.) 

Here the prophet Elijah performed the miracle with the 
sacrifice. The Tishbite, Elijah, one of the immigrants from 
Gilead, said unto Ahab: "As the Lord liveth, before whom I 
stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according 
to my word." (I King 17:1.) According to the words of Elijah 
it did not rain for three years and six months, and there was a 
great famine in the land of Israel. And, of course, Elijah was 
compelled to shoulder the responsibility and the blame for this 
great drought by the wicked Ahab and his equally godless Queen 
Jezebel. Ahab went out to seek pasture for his horses and cattle 
by brooks and springs. Now Elijah, who had been by the brook 
Cherith, afterwards at Sareptah in the house of the poor widow, 
and there experienced the providing care of God, when the oil 
in the cruse did not diminish, and the flour in the barrel of meal 
did not waste, came forward to meet his idolatrous king. And 
when the king saw him, he said: "Art thou he that troubleth 
Israel?" (I Kings 18: 17-18). But Ahab soon found out who 
was the cause of the trouble. Elijah was the preacher at the 
court in Israel and did not hide anything, but proclaimed the 
truth and nothing but the truth. At the command of Elijah 
Ahab gathered together the prophets of Baal, who numbered 
four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of Ashtaroth, four 
hundred, who did eat at the table of Jezebel; and before these 
and all Israel the sturdy prophet said: "How long halt ye be- 
tween two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow Him: but if 
Baal, then follow him." Here before all the people he wished 
to ascertain who was the right God. They arranged two altars, 
took two bulls, divided them and placed the pieces on the wood, 
but did not kindle any fire. The God who would answer with 
fire from heaven would be the true and living God. And the 



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people said: "It is well spoken." The prophets of Baal and. 
Ashtaroth were given the first chance, but there was no answer 
with fire from heaven. At noon-time Elijah mocked them and 
said : ' ' Cry aloud : for he is a god, either he is talking, or he is 
pursuing, or he is on a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, 
and must be awaked." (I Kings 18:27.) Then Elijah gathered 
the people together and arranged for the sacrifice, putting water 
in abundance on the sacrifice and in the trench around the altar. 
Then the prophet prayed, and said, among other things : ' ' Hear 
me, Lord, hear me that this people may know that Thou art 
the Lord God, and that Thou hast turned their heart back again. ' ' 
(I Kings 18 :37.) The fire came down from heaven and consumed 
the sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones and the dust, and 
licked up the water that was in the trench. Then the people said : 
"The Lord, He is the God, the Lord, He is the God." 

But where did these things occur? We might think that 
they happened on the mountain by the sea, but it was not there, 
but on the southeastern end of the ridge. There is a place called 
Makkrakah, or place of sacrifice, and according to ancient tradi- 
tion, this is the right place. If they did not get the water from 
the brook Kishon, they could have gotten it from a well or spring, 
located about two hundred feet from the Makkrakah. It is said 
that this well has never given out or become dry. But in case 
it might have done so, during the continued drought, they could 
have secured all the water necessary from the Kishon, only thir- 
teen hundred feet below this place of sacrifice. 

This place has been considered holy during past ages. We 
read that Elijah prepared the altars that had been torn down. 
(I Kings 18:30.) It was without doubt Jezebel who tore them 
down. It was to this place that Tacitus refers in the history of 
Vespasian, when he says: "Between Syria and Judea there is 
a mountain called Carmel, on whose top a god is worshiped, 



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without any other designation than the place, and according 
to an old custom without temple or statue. An altar is erected 
under the clear sky, and there they worship the presiding deity. ' ' 
There can be no question about the place in the light of such 
testimony. It is not likely that tradition, which points to this 
place, has made any mistake. 

It was on this mountain that Elijah called down fire from 
heaven over the captain and his fifty men, who had gone out to 
bring him captive to the king. The king Ahaziah during the 
time of his sickness, sent a messenger to ask the god of Ekron, 
Baal-zebub, if he would recuperate from his sickness or not. 
Then the prophet went out, met the messengers, and told them 
that the king would surely die. Then the king sent out his men 
and they were consumed by fire. (II Kings 1:9-15.) 

Furthermore, it was on this mountain that the Shunamite, 
who lived at Shunam, on the other side of the plain of Jezreel, 
at the foot of the Little Hermon, found the prophet Elijah and 
asked him to come with her and resurrect her son. 
(II Kings 4:25-37.) 

During the Middle Ages many anchorites lived in the caves 
of this mountain. A certain crusader from Calabria, Berthold 
by name, gathered a number of monks who had lived there for 
some time in honor of Elijah, and laid the foundation to a con- 
vent in 1156 ; and in this way the order of Carmelites arose. It 
is really one of the beggar orders of monks, which the Pope 
Honorius III sanctioned in 1226. A patriarch in Constantinople, 
Albert by name, established some regulations for this order, and 
according to these, ' ' They shall live by the works of their hands 
and be silent. ' ' 

Here on Carmel Richard the Lion-Hearted remained for 
some time to recuperate, after having made peace with Saladin 



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at Jashur, near Jaffa, September 2, 1192. Here the sick warriors 
of Napoleon remained for some time. The convent served as a 
hospital while he beleaguered Acco, on the other side of the bay, 
in 1797. During the war of the Greeks for liberty the convent 
and the church on Carmel were destroyed by Pascha Abd-allah 
from Acco, but were rebuilt again in 1828, especially through the 
efforts of Giovanni Batistas, 

It was the 15th of September when we passed along the 
banks of the brook Kishon, at the foot of Carmel ; and at 6 :15 
we were at the railroad station in Haifa. 

Being very tired, because of the extended journey, we rested 
during the evening. We were again close to the shore of the 
Mediterranean Sea, and heard how the billows were beating 
against the shore. The following day Mr. Fisher and I arose quite 
early to ascend the mountain, and to see the cloister and the 
chapel. When we reached the convent we were rewarded by the 
most excellent view of the city of Haifa, the surroundings and 
particularly the sea. We walked around the buildings and took 
some photos; and then the prior of the convent came out and 
asked us very kindly to come in. The monks received us in a 
most friendly way. They spoke French and English quite well. 
The convent is built in Italian style with a great cupola, which 
is visible far out on the sea. Here the mountain is about five 
hundred feet high, and stoops almost perpendicularly into the 
sea. A little to the northwest from the main building there is 
another but smaller structure, which surrounds the foot of the 
lighthouse, and this is used as a hotel for pilgrims. Between 
this building and the convent is the monument over the graves 
of soldiers, and this has the form of a pyramid. When Napoleon 
went to Egypt in 1799, he left some soldiers here, after the siege 
of Acco. All these soldiers were massacred by the Mohammedans. 



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Here under this monument they sleep their last sleep, waiting 
for the resurrection day. 

Above the altar in the church adjoining the convent is a 
statue of Mary, cut out of wood, with the Christ child at her side. 
The statue of Mary is dressed in a silk dress, and on her head 
there is a crown, glittering with gold and jewels. Below the 
altar is the grotto of Elijah. This grotto is about fifteen feet 
square, and is arranged as a chapel. In the sacristy is a kind 
of altar-piece, cut out of woods, and this shows how Elijah killed 
the prophets of Baal. 

Having seen all these things, we returned to the sitting 
room, where the monks manifested great kindness to us in every 
way. They gave us coffee and cake and asked us to take dinner 
with them. But our time was quite limited. We could not 
accept their kind invitation ; and having given our good monks 
bakschisch, we returned to Haifa. When we had arrived at the 
edge of the mountain, we stopped a little while to take a good 
look at Acco on the other side of the bay. Acco, or Acre, can be 
reached by horse and carriage, and it takes two and a half hours. 
The vicinity is very swampy. It was here that Phoenician sailors 
happened to discover the manufacture of glass. This town is 
spoken of only once in the Old Testament : ' ' Neither did Asher 
drive out the inhabitants of Accho, nor the inhabitants of Zidon, 
nor of Ahlab, nor of Ackzib, nor of Helbah, nor of Aphik, nor 
of Rehob." (Jud. 1:31.) This town remained, then, in the pos- 
session of the Canaanites. In later times it is called Ptolemais. 
This name is used by the Greeks and the Romans, in the books 
of the Maccabees and in the New Testament. 

When Saint Paul returned from his third missionary jour- 
ney to Jerusalem, he landed in Ptolemais, greeted the brethren, 
and remained with them two days. (Acts 21:7.) At Ptolemais 



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was a bishopric in the early days of the Christian church, and 
its bishop was present at the synod of Nice in 325. The Arabs 
captured the town in 638, and it remained in their possession 
until 1104, when the Crusaders captured it. Thus the history 
of Ptolemais is full of changes. It was taken by Saladin in 1187, 
and in the same year it was beleaguered by a powerful army of 
the Crusaders. Outside of this army was the Mohammedan host, 
and now a two years ' conflict arose as to who should control the 
city. Richard the Lion-Hearted and Philip August came to the 
help of the beleaguered, and the city was taken in 1191, when 
300,000 Crusaders and 180,000 Mohammedans had given their 
lives. Ptolemais became the chief seat of the Knights of John 
and other knights, and from this time on the town is called Acre, 
or according to the full name, Jean d'Acre. This was the last 
place that the Crusaders possessed in Syria. They lost it in 1291. 
Then it was captured by the Sultan of Egypt and Damascus, 
when about 60,000 men lost their lives, 6,000 were sold as slaves, 
and some fled over the sea to distant lands. The Turks captured 
Acre in 1516, and since that time a great many changes have 
taken place here. There are now in it about 10,000 inhabitants, 
and they carry on a lively trade with other countries. But it is 
constantly declining, because Haifa is continually growing in 
importance. 

Perhaps we ought to say something about Haifa, before we 
leave. It is located in a crescent-shaped bay, which makes the 
best harbor in Palestine. It is not very old, but has of late 
developed very fast and has a population of about 12,000 in- 
habitants. The German colony is located on the sea to the west 
of the city, and about six hundred persons live there. They have 
two schools. Of these one belongs to the Templar church and 
the other to the Evangelical. They carry on agriculture, have 

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vineyards and a great number of cattle. They have also a silk- 
weaving establishment, a wind-mill and two steam-mills. Haifa 
has two mosques, several churches, and an Armenian cloister. 
The Europeans in Haifa present a splendid object lesson of the 
possibility of keeping the town clean. 



[214] 



Chapter XI 



OVER THE PLAIN OF SHARON TO JAFFA 

THE evening I arrived at Haifa I asked a dragoman to take 
take me through the northern part of Palestine or Galilee. 
He wanted no less than ten dollars a day for six days, or fifty 
francs a day. I told him this was too much, but he would not 
come down in his price. 

In the meantime an Arab had offered to take us to Jaffa 
for fifty francs. When we had traveled about three hours, we 
came to ruins, quite near the shore. These are the ruins of the 
old Athlit of the Middle Ages, and now called the Castle of the 
Pilgrims. This place was an important fort during the time of 
the Crusades, and the last the Crusaders could keep in the Land 
of Promise. It was taken by Sultan Melik el-Ashraf in 1291. 
The ruins are very extensive and indicate that Athlit must have 
been a great stronghold. There is a Jewish colony, founded by 
Baron Rothschild of Paris, who bought the place. 

Having driven a little further south, our driver had to give 
the horses rest and water. This he did at a well by the roadside. 
Near by was a threshing floor. I went there to observe how 
they performed this work, and among other things I saw the way 
that the camels laid down to receive their burden of grain. At 
the command of the fellaheen the camel lies down and is then 
loaded. He is told to get up, and when the burden is too heavy, 
he groans and pretends that he will bite his master. 

After two hours' drive from Athlit we arrived at Tantura. 
This is also a ruin from the Middle Ages and looks very much 



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like Athlit. Tantura is spoken of in the Scriptures and called 
Dor. This was a Canaanite city, and its king made a covenant 
with Joshua, but he was killed in battle at the waters of Merom 
in northern Galilee. (Jos. 11:2, 12; 12:23.) When division was 
made this town was given to Manasseh, but the children of 
Manasseh could not take it. In the time of Solomon officers were 
appointed to provide food for the king and his household. 
Each man was to secure provision for a month. Such an officer 
was the son of Abinada, who was appointed in Dor, and was 
married to Taphath, the daughter of King Solomon. 
(I Kings 4:11.) 

Having passed by these ruins, the road turns to the left 
on the plain of Sharon. The mountain extends further inland 
and the plain becomes wider. It is quite uneven here in the 
northern sections. The road becomes quite steep and we are 
among hills and valleys. At last we came to a Jewish colony, 
called Samarin. Here we determined to stop until after mid- 
night, registered at Grand Hotel and had a chance to rest a 
while. This is one of the thirty-odd colonies that the Jews in 
the various parts of Palestine have established under the super- 
vision of Baron Rothschild. These colonies are scattered here 
and there all over the country, and the object of these is to 
prepare homes for the homeless Jews in various countries. Hav- 
ing rested a little while, we went out with a young student from 
Beirut to take a look at the vicinity. It was a very beautiful 
evening. The sun had not yet set below the waves of the Medi- 
terranean ; the rays threw a radiant glimmer over the mountains 
of Samaria, and the Carmel range in the north. On the distant 
hills new houses were being built, and it was curious to see how 
they always built their homes on the heights. 

On a hill to the southwest from Samarin we have a most 
excellent view of Csesarea by the sea, about eight miles distant. 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



I had brought along my field glass, and could see the ruins very 
clearly. To me it looked to be only about a stone's cast, where 
the foaming waves were beating against the old ruins. 

Along the coast of Palestine there is no good harbor. The best 
one is at Haifa. The harbors at Dor, Tantura, Accho, and Jaffa 
are' very poor. Because of this Herod determined to build a 
harbor where the vessels could find a safe refuge from the storms 
that so often beat against this naked and barren coast. This is 
why he built the city of Caesarea. The work began in the twenty- 
eighth year of his reign, i. e. 22 B. C. Where he began to rear 
the city was a fishing place called Straton's Tower. Here he 
built a harbor and wished to protect the ships from the south 
and west wind. It proved to be a great task. Josephus informs 
us that stones were sunk to a depth of 120 feet. This wall, built 
in the form of a circle, was 200 feet wide, and all along there 
were towers and buildings erected on it. The most prominent 
tower was called Druseum, to the memory of Drusus, Cassar's 
brother-in-law. Besides this protective wall, Herod built a 
temple and palaces, beautifying the city in every way. The city 
was called Caesarea Sebastje, in honor of Caasar Augustus. After 
ten years the city was ready, and now great festivities followed, 
according to Roman custom. These dedication festivities showed 
the trend of the times. Here they had games and races in which 
naked people partook; here men and animals fought for the 
mastery, and the spirit of wild heathenism was let loose to the 
pleasures of the public. In such a way this capital of Palestine 
was dedicated. From a religious point of view Jerusalem was 
the capital of the land, but Caesarea was the real capital city. 
There were about 200,000 inhabitants here in the days of its 
greatest prosperity. 

Cassarea is often mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles. 
Cornelius, a centurion of the Italian band, lived here. He was 

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a man that feared God, with all his house, and gave much alms 
to the people, and prayed to God always. (Acts 10:2.) This 
heathen centurion puts many a Christian in the shadow by his 
fear of God and his self-sacrificing spirit. Through the apostle 
Peter he found the way of salvation, and became the first fruit 
from the heathen world. 0, that we could say of all those who 
have the Christian name, that they are praying ! Yonder where 
the ruins are, by this coast, this man had his home. Here he 
sought and found the truth. Down there somethere is the place 
where Herod Agrippa stood when he delivered a speech to the 
Tyrians and the Sidonians. Then the people, the fickle crowd, 
cried out : ' * It is the voice of a god, and not of a man. " " Imme- 
diately the angel of the Lord smote him and he was eaten of 
worms, because he did not give God the glory." (Acts 12 :20-23.) 

When Paul went to Tarsus from Jerusalem in the year 38, 
and when he returned from the third missionary journey in the 
year 58, he landed here and visited the deacon Philip. (Acts 
21:8, 12.) Then again when he was taken captive in Jerusalem 
and was brought to Cassarea, he was kept a prisoner here for the 
space of two years. Here he defended his case in a masterly 
way before the governor, Felix, Festus, and King Agrippa II. 
(Acts 24: 10-21; 26-2,9.) Here was the seat of the governor, 
and only at the great festivals he went up to Jerusalem. "When 
Jerusalem was captured by Titus and destroyed, 70 A. D., 
Caasarea became the only capital of Palestine. Here was the seat 
of a metropolitan bishop, who had twenty bishops in his bishop- 
ric. Even the patriarch of Jerusalem was subordinate to the 
bishop of Cassarea until 451, when the synod of Chalcedon was 
held. Here the prominent bishop, the church historian, Eusebius 
(340), was born, here he labored so diligently to the end of his 
days, and here the church father from Egypt, Origen, was put 
to fearful tortures in the Decian persecution during the middle 



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of the third century. He survived his tortures three years and 
died at Tyros in 254. 

Think of the changes and vicissitudes that have taken place 
on this shore ! For a long time Csesarea was in the hands of the 
Christians, but the Mohammedans have taken this stronghold 
from them just as many times as they have captured it. Quite 
recently a colony from Bosnia has been established near by. 
This colony has built several new houses and used the ruins of 
the palace of Herod the Great. Here these ruins lie and bear 
testimony to the truth that all is vanity. "When King Herod, 
with his cruel taskmasters, was building his magnificent palaces 
on this storm-beaten shore, he did not surmise that coming 
generations who would send their tourists to this coast, would 
find it very difficult to walk around here among the ruins of 
his mighty capital. Proud Herod could build, but his monu- 
ments are fallen to the ground, never to rise again. Even in 
this respect the dear old Book has spoken the truth and nothing 
but the truth. ^Ye would be very short-sighted if, in all these 
ruins, we were not able to read His decisions, who has placed a 
limitation for man and his work and written thereon : 1 1 Hitherto, 
but no further! 7 ' 

Having had our supper, we went to the synagogue to attend 
the evening prayer. The fact is that these colonies look just 
like a small town, and here the people live along the streets in 
very good-looking houses. They have their fields and pastures 
quite a distance from the village and live together, because they 
wish to be in a position to defend themselves against the attacks 
of the Beduins. These colonies are not very well kept. The 
people in these sections are not very cleanly either. They have 
come to the land of their fathers from Russia, Germany, and other 
countries of Europe. Some have returned to their country 
again, inasmuch as they could not feel at home in the Land of 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



Promise. In this colony there are two synagogues. The one is 
Reformed, the other Orthodox. Evening prayer is held in both 
of these synagogues. Together with the student from Beirut 
I went into the Orthodox to see how they conducted their re- 
religious exercises, and I found it very interesting. The prayer 
had already begun when we entered. Th synagogue was full of 
people. Before an altar a rabbi stood with his back turned 
towards the people, and sang the evening prayer in the Hebrew 
Bible. Sometimes they read and sang responsively, and some- 
times they talked among themselves in the pews. All had their 
hats on, some of the boys had a regular " picnic" during the 
devotional exercises, and there was quite a noise. I had never 
heard such an evening prayer before. It was very annoying 
and disturbing to hear them talk while the rabbi was reading 
from the Scriptures. Above the altar these words are written 
in Hebrew, "The Lord our God is one," and below, "Know 
before whom you are standing." After the prayer some an- 
nouncements were made and so the meeting was over. While 
I was sitting there with my cap on — the boy who came with me 
told me not to take off the cap — I thought of the great J ew, Saint 
Paul, who preached Christ in the synagogues of his countrymen. 
If the Jews to whom he spoke were as negligent and careless as 
the Jews seemed to be in the synagogue at Samarin, it is not to be 
wondered at that he preached repentance the way he did. 

In the colony there were about eight hundred persons and they 
seemed to be satisfied with their lot and thrive pretty well. We 
went to bed quite early, as we were to arise at 2 A. M. to get 
over the plain of Sharon and reach Jaffa at 12 o'clock the fol- 
lowing day. Our Arab servant told us when to get up, and had 
breakfast ready for us; but at this early hour we could not 
eat very much. Having given bakschisch to the servant, we 
started off in the darkness at 2:15 in the morning. It seemed 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



rather strange to me to start out at this hour, since we had to 
pass by several Beduin camps in the night, On the plain of 
Sharon there are only Beduins and Fellaheen, and they are not 
so very kindly disposed towards travelers ; and in the dark night 
they had all kinds of chances to do us harm if they wished to 
do so. 

We felt somewhat sleepy, but the Arab driver was very 
much awake and used his whip quite diligently. He drove over 
the hills and through the valleys so that the sparks were flying 
around the wheels. 

Now we are out on the plain of Sharon, and yet it is not a 
regular plain, but very rolling. Of course, we could not see 
anything in the dark night, but we could get an idea from the 
motions of the carriage up and down. Along the road we heard 
the Beduins awake and engaged in conversation, and here and 
there we saw their campfires. I had no idea how we were to get 
through, but I left all in the hands of the Lord and thought, 
"He will protect me as He has done up to this time." Out west 
we heard how the billows roared against the rocky beach. The 
dogs of the Beduins were also awake, and the jackals made a 
fearful noise as they roamed about, seeking their food. This 
romantic night I shall never forget. 

From Haifa we had brought along an Arab who was going 
out on the plain of Sharon to some of his friends. About three 
o'clock in the morning he left the carriage. He went out among 
the bushes, spoke to some one and was answered immediately. 
We understood that he was expected. It is a peculiarity of the 
Beduins that they seem to be up and busy all night. No matter 
how early you rise, you will see them sneaking around, doing 
something. It would certainly be a daring feat to travel alone 
on this plain without proper protection. 

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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



About five o 'clock in the morning we came to a little village, 
and before we arrived at the outskirts our driver stopped and 
lighted the lamps in the carriage. I wondered why he did that, 
but found out later that he wished to protect us from an attack 
of the Beduins in the village. They could see by our burning 
lamps that we were no robbers, but honorable people, and thus 
they would have no fear of being attacked. 

Now the dawn began to appear over the mountains of 
Samaria. At half-past five we drove in at a place that looked 
just like a hotel. Here we stopped awhile and rested our poor 
horses. One of the horses was almost gone. The driver bathed 
him with cold water and gave him feed, which he had brought 
along, and in a little while we were ready to go on. The place 
is called Tull Karm. Now we drove in a southwesterly direction 
and drew nearer the Mediterranean Sea. We were still quite 
a few miles from the coast. The ' 1 plain ' ' was quite uneven here, 
valleys and hills following one another. 

We were then on the plain of Sharon and reminded our- 
selves of the lilies, of which the Bible speaks in such glowing 
terms. Where are they now? We cannot see any. They are 
gone, and there are no flowers at this time. The valleys and 
hills are very dry, and give a rather poor pasture to the flocks 
of the Beduins, as they roam around here. We continued our 
drive to Jaffa along the old caravan road. 

While we are moving along the plain, which becomes more 
even and fruitful as we draw nearer Jaffa, we think of what the 
old Book tells us regarding this historic section of Palestine. 
Sharon is mentioned five times in the Old Testament and only 
once in the New. (I Chron. 27:29; Is. 33:9; 35:2; Songs of 
Sol. 2 :1.) On this extensive plain King Solomon used to feed his 
cattle, and the prophet Isaiah laments the devastation which the 
Assyrians have wrought here: "The earth mourneth and 



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languisheth: Lebanon is ashamed and hewn down: Sharon is 
like a wilderness, and Bashan and Carmel shake off their fruits." 
(Is. 33:9.) But in days to come Sharon shall blossom as a lily. 
The same prophet tells of its coming beauty in this way: "The 
wilderness and solitary places shall be glad for them; and the 
desert shall rejoice, and blossom as a rose. It shall blossom 
abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing: the glory of 
Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and 
Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency 
of our God." (Is. 35:1-2.) But this plain has become mostly 
renowned by the Songs of Solomon, who speaks of the rose in 
Sharon, and describes it as an emblem of beauty, which he would 
find in his dear Shulamith. 

In the winter time this plain is very beautiful. There are 
then flowers all over, and a most excellent view then greets the 
tourist. But lo, in the southwest there is something white along 
the shore. It is heaps of sand, which the winds have carried 
inland, and there they lie as snowdrifts. And what do we see 
further on? Orchards. We are drawing near Jaffa. There 
they raise tropical fruits of all kinds, and everything looks so 
inviting. The oranges are not yet ripe, but are green, and so 
is the rest of the fruit along the road. Pretty soon we see the 
towers and minarets and at last the houses are seen between the 
fruit trees. Our driver is pushing the poor horses along as 
though he were wild. Soon we are on the streets of Jaffa, Our 
Arab coachman must have bakschish; we give it to him and 
away he goes. At last we are in Jaffa. This time our visit in 
Jaffa was very limited, but we came to this interesting place on 
three other occasions, and we might leave the description of the 
place until later on. Here on this coast most of the pilgrims 
who visit the Holy Land make their landing, and who can tell 
how many thousands have placed their feet on the sacred soil 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



for the first time during the past centuries? I thanked God, 
who had given me His kind protection and followed me so far 
that I was now ready to "go up to Jerusalem." In the next 
chapter we shall relate our experiences on our way to that sacred 
place. 



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Chapter XII 
TO THE HOLY CITY 

WHILE we were waiting for the train, which was to leave 
at two o'clock in the afternoon, we walked around the 
station to become somewhat acquainted with the location. Now 
we were ready to board the train. The second-class coaches are 
quite good, and the passengers are ordinarily respectable. Al- 
though vary tired of the journey over the plain, I became quite 
strong and enthusiastic at the thought that I was going to the 
Holy City. "We go up to Jerusalem," came continually to my 
mind, and I could hardly believe that this was true. During 
my journeys I had had the idea of making Jerusalem the central 
point of my travel in the Land of Promise, and with this city 
as my last goal, it was no wonder that I felt quite interested. 
On the train there were a great many passengers, but I almost 
forgot that there was anyone else in the car, because all along 
the road there are a number of Biblical places, and I must learn 
something about them. 

To begin with, the train goes in a northeasterly direction 
between heaps of sand, which the storms have carried hither 
from the beach. In a few minutes we pass by the German colony 
to the right of the railroad. This colony was founded in 1868 by 
Christoffer Hoffman and his followers from Wiirtemberg, who 
united with him. This is one of the Templar colonies, of which 
there are a great many in Palestine. In this colony there is a 
Lutheran church and a school. Another colony of the same 
nature is located about forty-five minutes' journey to the north - 



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east of the city. When we had come about half way to this 
home of the Templars, the train turned in a southeasterly direc- 
tion on the plain of Sharon. There was, to the right, a Jewish 
colony with an agricultural school containing about three hun- 
dred students. Near by is a fellaheen village called Jashur. 
According to tradition Samson caught his foxes at this place, 
took firebrands, turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand in the 
midst between two tails, and let them go into the standing corn 
of the Philistines. In this way he burnt up the shocks and also 
the standing corn with the vineyards and olives. (Jud. 15:4.) 
Here in this village stood the temple of Dagon, in which the 
Philistines fastened the head of Saul when they had cut it off 
on the mount of Gilboa. (I Chron. 10: 10). 

Quite a distance on the level plain, and we are at El-Lud, 
the old Lydda. After the Babylonian captivity some men of 
Benjamin lived here. At that time the place was called Lod. 
(I Chron. 8 :12.) In the New Testament times Peter here healed 
the man sick with palsy. "And it came to pass, as Peter passed 
through all the quarters, he came down also to the saints which 
dwelt at Lydda. And there he found a certain man named 
Aeneas, which had kept his bed eight years, and was sick of 
palsy. And Peter said unto him, Aeneas, Jesus Christ maketh 
thee whole : arise and make thy bed. And he arose immediately. 
And all that dwelt at Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned 
to the Lord" (Acts 9 : 23-25). Josephus informs us that Cestus 
Gallus burnt this town. (Jos. Ant. 14:12:5.) Afterwards it was 
rebuilt and the inhabitants delivered themselves without re- 
sistance into the hands of Vespasian, 68 A. D. People from other 
places moved into Lydda and it grew again to some prominence. 
During the time of the Romans it was called Diospolis, i. e. the 
city of Jupiter. In the Christian times it contained the seat 
of a bishop, and a synod was held here 415. According to an 



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ancient tradition St. George was a prince from Cappadocia and 
he killed a great snake which was about to kill the princess Aja. 
This George is said to have died as a martyr during the Diocle- 
tian persecution. According to another legend Lydda is the 
birthplace of this St. George, and a splendid church was built 
here < in his honor. When the first Crusade came to Palestine, 
this church was destroyed by the Mohammedans, 1099. The 
Crusaders chose George as their patron saint and rebuilt the 
church. When the regime of the Crusaders came to an end, 
the church was again torn down and for a long time there were 
heaps of ruins here. Over the crypt, where Saint George is said 
to have been buried, the Mohammedans have built a mosque. 
This is located in the southern part of Lydda. From the station 
the town is scarcely visible, because of a thick olive grove, which 
extends over the plain. 

At a little distance from Lydda is Ramie. This is our next 
station and is a city of about 5,000 inhabitants, of whom the 
most are Mohammedans. Ramie is located on a sandy plain, 
and hence the name, which means sandy. During the Crusades 
there was a bishopric here. The great mosque was a church from 
the time of the Crusaders. Here is, then, another one of those 
churches which the Mohammedans transformed into a mosque. 
Another object of interest is in the northwestern part of the 
city. It is a tower, which formerly belonged to a mosque, since 
fallen to pieces. This was built in 1319 by the Egyptian Sultan 
Mohammed En-Nazir to the memory of his son. 

The city of Ramie is, according to some authors, the Ari- 
mathcea from which Joseph came; he who gave his grave to 
the Master to be buried in. (Matt. 27 :57.) Several authors, and 
among them Hierome in his "Paulas' Journey," inform us that 
Arimathcea was not far from Lydda. Others have objected to 
this assertion, but the testimony of Hierome in the fourth cen- 



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tury cannot so easily be brushed aside. It is likely, if not ab- 
solutely proven, that Arimathcea is discovered in the present 
Ramie. 

At this place the railroad crosses the road leading from Jaffa 
to Jerusalem. To the left on a hill you see a village called 
Abuschusche. Here is the location for the Canaanite city Gezer. 
About this we read that "King Pharaoh of Egypt had gone up 
and taken Gezer, and burnt it with fire, and slain the Canaan- 
ites that dwelt in that city, and given it for the present unto 
his daughter, Solomon's wife." (I Kings 9 : 16). Quite recently 
the Palestine Exploration Fund has made excavations here 
under the leadership of Prof. Macalister; anyone who is 
interested in this work may procure "Sidelight on the Bible 
from the Mound of Gezer," recently published by the Palestine 
Exploration Fund. 

As we proceed, we observe to the right of the road the 
agricultural colony Akir, founded by Baron Rothschild. Here 
was the ancient Ekron (Jos. 13:3, 15; 15:45-46.) When we 
came to the station Sedjed in Wady es-Sarar, or the valley of 
Zorah, we observed to the right of the road a fellaheen village 
by the name Ain Schemesh, the ancient Beth Schemesh, the 
City of the Sun, of which we read in the Scriptures. During 
the last days of Eli, the high priest and judge in Israel, the 
ark of the covenant was brought from Shiloh to the battlefield 
of Eben-Ezer. The Philistines captured the ark of the covenant, 
and there was a great loss for Israel that day. The Philistines 
brought the ark to Ashdod and placed it in their temple by their 
god Dagon. Now these Philistines did as many a nominal 
Christian is doing even nowadays. They are trying to worship 
the living God, but they are serving idols besides, although it is 
very clear from the word of God that Christ and Baal cannot 
be reconciled. Nevertheless it is very hard for them to give up 

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certain sins — sins which they do not wish to consider as sins ; 
for instance, drunkenness, unchastity, dancing, and card play- 
ing, and many kindred sins. Many of them are people who go 
to church on Sunday and attend communion, but if they are 
called upon to give up their pet sins, they become very much 
irritated, and demand to have the reason why they should be- 
come so puritanical. Now what are they doing, but trying to 
place Christ beside Baal, or the ark of the Lord in the temple 
of Dagon? 

In this connection we might remind ourselves that the ark 
of the covenant gave occasion to a great deal of trouble, so that 
they were compelled to bring it back. They made a cart, took 
two milch kine, on w^hich there hath come no yoke, and tied the 
kine to the cart and shut up their calves at home, and the cows 
brought the ark of the covenant back to the land of Israel at 
Beth-Shemesh. Near this place is the grave of Samson (Jud. 
16:31.) The railroad is now going up among the mountains of 
Judah, on the south side of the valley of Zorah to a station called 
Der Aban. On the north side of the valley is the home town 
of Samson, the ancient Zorah, among a grove of palm trees. 
(Jud. 13:2.) In that town lived Manoah and his pious wife. 
Quite near this place and further to the east is a Jewish colony 
called Astuf. We are now among the foothills of Judah, called 
Shefelah, and the railroad is zigzagging along the sides of the 
mountains, through valleys and tunnels. Now and then we see 
walls along the mountainsides. These were built to keep the 
soil from crumbling down with the winter rain. At last we come 
to Betir, the next station to Jerusalem. This station is located 
in a valley, and is a Mohammedan village. The Arabs call it 
Wady el-Ward, or valley of roses, because there is an abundance 
of them here. 



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Betir is without doubt the old Bether, where a strong fortress 
was located formerly. Within this fortress Bar Cochba kept 
himself and his warriors, defying the soldiers of the Emperor 
Hadrian, who beleaguered it for a long time. The fortress was 
captured in 135 A. D., the head of Bar Cochba was carried with 
great joy into the Roman camp, and now followed a massacre 
so fearful that the brook flowing down the valley ran with blood 
the whole way down to the Mediterranean Sea. Such is the 
tradition of the Rabbis. Next to the destruction of Jerusalem 
this was the greatest desolation. About 80,000 people fell before 
the sword of the Romans, and besides this a great number of 
people died of pestilence, famine and other misfortunes. The 
only place in the Holy Scripture where Bether is mentioned is 
the Songs of Solomon 2:17, where we read: ''Until the day 
break and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be thou 
like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether." Down 
in the valley the water flows very freely; and from this place 
the water is led into the city of J erusalem. 

To the right of Betir, beyond the station, lies Ain el-Hanije, 
or the Well of Philip. At this place the Ethiopean eunuch was 
baptized by the deacon in Jerusalem, Philip (Acts 8:36.) Next 
the train turns into Raphaim, the plain of the Giants. To the 
right we have the mount, Mar Eljas, to the left the residence of 
the Greek patriarch, and further ahead, the hospital for the 
leprous, belonging to the Moravian Brethren. We are now on 
the plain on which the army of King Sennacherib was stationed, 
when the angel of the Lord in one night slew 185,000 men. I 
stood for a long time by the car window, waiting to see the first 
glimpse of the Holy City. The train is speeding along in a 
northeasterly direction along the plain. My heart is beating 
faster than usual in the expectation of seeing the ancient city 
of Jerusalem. You do not see very much of it when you arrive, 



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except some towers and minarets here and there and a part of 
the walls. To the east of the city the Mount of Olives is visible. 
This I saw now for the first time, and I shall never forget this 
moment. At the last the engine whistles and the train comes to a 
stop at the station. My watch shows 6 :05 P. M. We stepped off 
the train and read "Jerusalem" on the plain and insignificant 
station. I wondered if it was a reality or a dream. I was awake, 
but stood there as a dreamer. Here was now a fearful noise 
among the Arab coachmen who stood near the station. Mr. 
Fisher and I got hold of a representative from the Hotel Fast. 
Several were fighting for our baggage, but at last we stepped 
into the carriage ; and we went along the road, by the Jaffa gate, 
and up in the New City. The station is located about a mile 
to the west of the Hill of Evil Counsel. As soon as we came into 
the car, we came down in the Gihon Valley. Here we see to the 
right the deep Ben Hinnom Valley and beyond this the Mount 
of Olives. In the Gihon Valley we pass over a bridge called 
Birket-es-Sultan, or the Sultan dam, the Lower Gihon. 

The road is rather steep, until we reach the Jaffa gate. The 
coachman used the whip very freely and the horses fell down 
on the street, I told the man that if he struck the horses once 
more I would get out of the carriage and leave him. He did 
not strike the horses any more after that. At the Hotel Fast, 
very tired after the journey of the day and in need of refreshing 
sleep, we resolved to go to bed early, so that we might be able 
to "tour" the Holy City the next day. I thanked God with 
my whole heart for His gracious protection during my journey 
to this city. A short devotion and I went to rest, entrusting 
myself to the protecting hands of God, and slept well this, my 
first night in the Holy City. 



[231] 



Chapter XIII 



IN THE HOLY CITY 

THIS is the city of Jerusalem, which has been designated as 
the capital city of the whole Christian world. Here is the 
birthplace of Christianity, and here Jesus Christ, the Son of 
God, the hope of mankind, suffered, died, was buried and arose 
again from the dead. Books have been written and books will 
be written about this wonderful city, and what shall I be able 
to relate about it that the reader does not know already? I 
wish to ask the reader to follow me in imagination to the top 
of the Mount of Olives. We shall there stand and let the events 
of history in brief pass in review before our mind. Here the 
greatest act in the drama of human life has been acted. 

While we are standing on the top of the Mount of Olives, 
on the place where Christ is said to have once stood, we have the 
most excellent view of the Holy City. But before we endeavor 
to relate what has happened within these walls, let us try to 
depict the location of this historic place. The ancient city of 
J erusalem is located on the top of the mountains of Judah, and 
about 2,500 feet above the level of the sea. It is located on four 
hills, which are almost surrounded with deep valleys; and be- 
yond these the mountains rise higher than those of the city. 
When you stand on the top of the Mount of Olives, it appears 
that the city is leaning a little towards the east, and the hills are 
not visible to any greater extent. The location within the walls 
is somewhat oblong from southwest to northeast. In the south- 
western part of this oblong surface lies Mount Zion, in the north- 



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eastBezetha, in the southeast Moriah, and in the northwest Acra. 
This is the highest place on which the city is built. On the 
west side of Mount Moriah is a valley called Tyropoean or Cheese- 
mongers. This begins inside of the Damascus Gate, and extends 
southward to the Dung Gate and into the Ben Hinnom Valley. 
But you cannot see this very clearly on an elevation like the 
Mount of Olives. The present wall, built by Sultan Suleiman in 
1542, has seven gates. On the east side is the Stephen Gate, and 
this name is given to it because the Deacon in the Christian 
church at Jerusalem, Stephen, was stoned outside the same. He 
was the first martyr for the evangelical truth. The Mohamme- 
dans call this gate Bab Sitti Maryam, i. e. the Gate of the Virgin 
Mary, because in the Valley of Jehoshaphat, below this gate, the 
Virgin Mary was buried. Now there is a church at that place. 
Further south in the wall is the golden gate, called by the 
Mohammedans Bab ed-Dahariyeh, and is located almost directly 
opposite Moriah. If we go along the wall northward we will 
come to the Herod Gate, a little distance to the west of the 
northeast corner. The Arabs call this gate Bab es-Zahireh. A 
little distance to the west is the Damascus Gate, called Bab el- 
Amud. Here was the old Fish Gate. Further west again is a 
new gate, opened quite recently, and called Bab Abdul Hamid. 
On the west side is only one gate, namely the Jaffa Gate, or 
Bab el-Khalil. The Mohammedans call it El-Khalil, or the Friend, 
because Abraham was the friend of God, and through this gate 
you go to Hebron, where Abraham lived. On Mount Zion is the 
Zion Gate, called by the inhabitants Bab Nebi Daud, i. e. the 
prophet David's Gate. It is so called, because the grave of David 
is supposed to be quite near this place. In the south wall there 
is only one gate, the Dung Gate, called Bab el-Mugharibe, i. e. 
the African Gate. In ancient Jerusalem the gates were named 
quite differently and located at different places. 



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If we go out through the Stephen Gate and walk down the 
hillside, we come into the Jehoshaphat Valley, or the Kedron, 
as it is called in the New Testament. There is water in this 
brook only in the rainy season. This valley is quite deep on the 
east side of the city, but as it turns to the northwest, it becomes 
wider and not so deep. To the northeast of this valley is Mount 
Scopus, from which ridge of the Mount of Olives Titus saw the 
doomed city for the first time. On the west side is the Gihon 
Valley, which empties into Ben Hinnom, a very deep and craggy 
vale. Jehoshaphat and Ben Hinnom unite to the southeast of the 
city into a deep gorge which goes down to the Dead Sea. To 
the south of Ben Hinnom is the Hill of Evil Counsel, so called, 
because the home of Caiaphas is supposed to have been located 
here, and to this place the enemies of Jesus came to counsel how 
they might kill him. The Mount of Olives is a ridge, the top 
of which is about a mile from the city. This ridge has several 
smaller knobs, such as Mount Scopus, Viri Galilaei, or Men of 
Galilee, the Mount of Ascension, and Prophets and the Mount of 
Offense, the one farthest to the south, by the road leading to 
Bethany and the Dead Sea. Consequently there are mountains 
all around the Holy City. Only to the southwest is an open 
place, the plain of Rephaim. This circumstance has given the 
psalmist occasion to say: "As the mountains are around about 
Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about His people from hence- 
forth even forever." (Ps. 125:2.) Such is, in brief, the locality 
of Jerusalem as you see it from the top of Olives. 

What wonderful events have not taken place here! What 
changes during thousands of years of its existence have not these 
surroundings witnessed! Before we remind ourselves of its 
wonderful history, let us relate the story of its names. In the 
Patriarchal era, here was the seat of a royal priesthood, and the 
name of the incumbent was Melchizedek. (Gen. 14:18.) In 



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several places of the Holy Scriptures it is simply called Salem. 
About one hundred years before Asaph composed the seventy- 
sixth Psalm it was called Salem. "In Salem also is his taber- 
nacle, and his dwelling-place in Zion." (Ps. 76:2.) "When the 
Israelites conquered the land of Canaan, the Jebusites lived 
here, and then it was designated Jebus. Perhaps the full name, 
even at that time, was Jebus-Salem. (Jud. 19-10.) There are 
some who believe that the name has been changed from Jebus- 
Salem to Jerusalem for the sake of euphony, and perhaps that is 
the case. The first time we meet with the name Jerusalem in 
the Bible is in the Book of Judges, where we read: "And Adoni- 
bezek said, Three score and ten kings, having their thumbs and 
their great toes cut off, gathered their meat under my table; 
as I have done, so God hath requited me. And they brought 
him to Jerusalem and there he died. Now the children of Judah 
had fought against Jerusalem, and had taken it, and smitten it 
with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire. " (Jud. 1 :7-8.) 
During the time of J oshua and the Judges it is sometimes called 
Jerusalem, and sometimes Jebus or City of the Jebusites (Jud. 
19:11.) The city is also called Jebus' Hight (Jos. 18:16.) Jeru- 
salem is called the Holy City in several places of the Scriptures 
(Mark 4:3; 27:53), and Isaiah calls it Ariel, which means God's 
lion. (Is. 29:1.) The Emperor Aelius Hadrianus founded a 
Roman colony in Jerusalem, after the rebellion of Bar Cochba, 
and in order that the hated Jews might not have occasion to 
start another rebellion, he forbade them to settle here. He 
rebuilt Jerusalem and called it Aelia Capitolina, which name it 
retained till 536 A. D. The name Jerusalem was altogether 
forgotten. There is a story told of a martyr during the time 
of Emperor Maximius (238) at CaBsarea, that when he was 
asked as to his home town he said Jerusalem — thereby meaning 
the heavenly Jerusalem — he was asked by the Roman official 



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Firmilianus, where this city was located and what kind of a 
town it was — to such an extent Jerusalem had been forgotten. 
Already during the time of Constantine the Great they com- 
menced to use the name Jerusalem, but the name Aelia was 
used for some time afterwards. At present the Holy City is 
called El- Kuds or the Sanctuary, because one of the principal 
sanctuaries is located here — Kubbet es-Sakhra, the Dome of the 
Rock. Although the Arabs are familiar with the name Jeru- 
salem or Jeru-shalaim, they very seldom use it. 

Now what changes do not these different names indicate! 
Jerusalem has had a golden age. Here the greatest events in 
the history of the world have taken place. There are seven 
great periods in the history of this ancient city. The first is the 
Patriarchal from 2000-1500 B. C. About 4000 years ago came an 
immigrant of the Hebrew family from Ur of the Chaldees by 
way of Mesopotamia, went to the southern parts of the land of 
Canaan and made that part of the land his home country. A 
relative of his, his nephew Lot, went with him and settled in 
the rich and fruitful Siddim Valley. Here he happened to be 
attacked by Chedorlaomer, and was carried away from his home 
country in one of those warlike expeditions. Abram, for that 
was the name of the Hebrew stranger, went after the king with 
his 318 brave servants, on the other side of Damascus to Hobah. 
(Gen. 14:15.) Here he conquered him and brought back his 
nephew Lot. Returning, he went without doubt by way of 
Salem. 

But the years are rolling swiftly by. A certain day there 
comes an aged patriarch over the hills to the south of Salem. 
He brings along two servants, an ass and his son, the only one 
he has, leaves the ass and the servants a little ways off, and with 
his son, a bundle of wood, a knife and fire he proceeds to the 
hill of Moriah. Here he builds an altar, places the wood upon 



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it and binds his son in order to offer him as a sacrifice. But the 
angel of the Lord prevents him; he finds that he has given 
evidence enough of his love to his God and implicit obedience. 
Here is a reminder of Him who in the fulness of time sacrificed 
Himself in the place of mankind. "The chastisement of our 
peace was upon Him." 

But a new era breaks in. It is the era of the Jebusites from 
1500-1048 B. C. This is a stormy period. From the burning 
sands of the desert a people has entered into the land of Promise, 
and they have come conquering and to conquer. The land is 
given to them by promise, but they must occupy it by conquest. 
The Book of Joshua relates this story very briefly, and Judges 
describes the occupation of the land in detail. After seven 
years of bloody wars the Israelites are masters of the land. In 
a heroic manner the occupants of the fortress Jebus determine 
to hold their own in face of the victorious immigrants. The 
Israelites won the victory. Jerusalem was given to the tribe of 
Benjamin at the division of the land, but it seems as though 
they did not make any effort to occupy the city. The tribe of 
Judah, whose boundary lines went down to the Valley of Ben 
Hinnom, tried to occupy the fortress, but could not, and the 
Jebusites lived there together with the children of Israel. (Jos. 
15:63.) After the death of Joshua the tribe of Judah captured 
the city of Jebus, killed the inhabitants, and burnt it. ( Jud. 1 :8.) 
Josephus relates that it was the lower part of the city, which 
Judah captured, but he could not capture the upper part, be- 
cause the Jebusites defended their city so heroically and kept 
their fortress for four hundred years, in spite of the fierce attacks 
of Israel. 

Another epoch in the history of the city is coming. This 
is the Royal period, and extends from 1048 to 588 B. C. Over 
the hills from the south an army is drawing near. The general 



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is the king at Hebron. His army is approaching the mighty 
fortress of the Jebusites. A fearful struggle takes place. Joab 
was the first to climb up on the wall, the strong fortress was 
captured and Joab became the general of the army. In this way 
David conquered the Jebusites, occupied the fortress, lived there, 
and so it was called the City of David. David built a fortress on 
the hill of Zion with cedar trees from Lebanon. (II Sam. 5 :1-11.) 
Amidst great rejoicing the ark of the covenant was brought to 
Zion from Kir jath- Jearim, and placed there in a tent. David 
intended to build a temple to the Lord, but the prophet Nathan 
came to him and told him that he was a man of war, had shed 
blood, and for this reason he could not build a dwelling-place 
to the Lord. Still he was permitted to prepare for it. Here 
David ruled thirty and three years over all the tribes, carried 
the scepter with a mighty hand, and extended the boundary 
lines of his dominion. He began to build a wall around the city 
and this was completed by his son and successor. When David 
brought the ark of the covenant to Jebus, it was called Jeru- 
salem. At that time the town was located mostly on the west 
side of the Tyropoean Valley and on the southern part of Moriah, 
called Ophel. Thus we find here the upper and the lower city. 

At the end of his reign David bought the threshing floor of 
the Jebusite, Oman, for six hundred shekels of gold. (II Chron. 
3:1.) Having finished a very successful reign, he is gathered 
unto his fathers and his son ascends his throne. During his 
peaceful regime the temple is built on Moriah. Under the lead- 
ership of 3,600 men this work is carried on, and 70,000 are bring- 
ing material from Lebanon, while 80,000 are working in the 
stone quarries. Of strangers there were 153,000 who partook 
in this work. The temple was twice as large in dimensions as 
the tabernacle. These things took place 1010 B. C. The reign 
of this king was most glorious, and yet we find many dark 



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shadows in his life. There were a great many faults to be found 
with him personally. In his time the seeds of coming struggles 
and divisions were sown. Strange, indeed, that this king fell 
away from God in his old age. Heathen women led him away 
from God. Did he ever return to God in a proper relation to 
Him? Who can answer? Some believe that he did, and that 
he then wrote his book, Ecclesiastes. 

With Solomon away from the arena of life, his kingdom 
is divided into two divisions, the kingdom of Judah and the 
kingdom of Israel, and Jerusalem becomes the capital city of 
the former kingdom. There are twenty kings in succession on 
the ancient throne of David. 
\ In the reign of Hezekiah, Sennacherib, the king of Assyria 
came and captured many cities of Judah — Assyrian inscriptions 
say forty-six — and these cities were fortified. The prophet Isaiah 
had prophesied about these events long before. (Isa.10: 28-32.) 
The reign of Ahaz was very disastrous, but in the days of Heze- 
kiah the Lord protected His Zion. But now Egyptian armies 
came again, this time under the leadership of Pharao Necho, 
right into the Holy City. Thrice this king of Babylon came to 
I Jerusalem, 606, 599, and 588 B. C, and established his vassal 
kings here at last. When one of these kings, Zedechiah, rose up 
against his master, Nebuchadnezzar came the third time in 588, 
captured the city, razed it to the ground, and brought the in- 
habitants with his as captives to Babylon. The estimate is that 
about 300,000 or 400,000 were carried into captivity. This was 
a deplorable time for the Jewish nation. Jerusalem was now 
desolate, the temple was torn down, and among the ruins Jere- 
miah, who was permitted to remain in his home country, sang 
his lamentations. By the rivers of Babylon the children of 
Judah wept, when they thought of their Zion. 



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From 588 B. C. to 70 A. D. the Jews enjoyed an era of 
liberty. Led by Zerubbabel, they were restored to their former 
home in Palestine. In the year 536 B. C. the first prisoners re- 
turned to their desolate city. They began slowly to rebuild the 
temple and the city. In 445 Nehemiah returned to the city of 
his fathers and built the walls around the place. A great num- 
ber returned and the new Jerusalem rose out of the ruins and 
became a metropolis for the Jewish state. When the Persian 
king Cyrus victoriously entered Babylon, the Jews became sub- 
jects to the Persian government. Again when the powerful son 
of Maeedon, Alexander the Great, subjugated the Orient and 
captured the Holy City and became ruler of this territory, 
Jerusalem came under the scepter of Macedonia. Alexander 
marched into this city in 332 B. C. The Jews received certain 
privileges in his dominion. When the mighty ruler died in 
Babylonia in 323 B. C, his kingdom was divided into four parts, 
and Jerusalem came under the Syrian and later under the 
Egyptian rulers. These two kingdoms fought for this historic 
place and Palestine. Think of the fearful wars that have been 
waged here! 

Ptolemaeus Soter, king of Egypt, captured this city in 
320 B. C, and this he did because the Jews were not willing to 
fight on the Sabbath. The king of Syria, Antiochus, recaptured 
it, and when the Jews rebelled, Antiochus Ephiphanes and his 
son recaptured the same in 169. Now a period of persecution 
began for the Jews and a great many were killed. Then the 
powerful Maccabees appear on the scene (167-137). A Jewish 
priest from Jerusalem, whose paternal city, Modin, was located 
to the northwest, came forth as a deliverer. His name was Mat- 
tathia. His son, Judas Maccabee, liberated Jerusalem from the 
oppressors, and now a period of prosperity came for the oppres 
people. But at the end of this period conflicts arose. Two 



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brothers, Hyreanus and Aristobulus, were fighting for the su- 
premacy. When they appeared before the Roman general with 
a view of having their disputes settled, Pompey, then at Damas- 
cus, came with his army and captured Jerusalem, and thus the 
Romans came into power in this country. 

This happened in the year 65 B. C. Herod, the Idumean, 
became king in -40 B. C. and being appointed by the Roman sen- 
ate, he was subject to Rome. In this way the Herodian family 
came to rule over Palestine. This was a prosperous time in many 
ways for the Jewish nation. This was the Herod who ruled in 
the land when Christ, the promised Messiah, was born in Beth- 
lehem, six miles south of here. Herod ruled in reality from 38 
B. C. to 4 A. D. Herod was a mighty builder. At Jerusalem 
he built an arena for races, and outside the city he erected an 
amphitheatre for bull fights, and every fifth year he arranged 
for such combats to the honor of the Emperor Augustus. The 
Jews were very much displeased at such doings, and ten men 
made a plot to kill the king. He found it out and these men 
were put to death in a most horrible manner. Herod fortified 
Jerusalem and built three towers on the north side of the old 
wall, called Hippicus, Phasael and Mariamme, in honor of his 
friend, brother and wife. On Mount Zion he built a strong 
fortress. Furthermore, he built Herodion in Judah, Cassarea by 
the sea and a great many fortresses. We will pass by his build- 
ings in Damascus, Beiruth, Ptolemais and Zidon and several 
other places in order to remind ourselves of his masterpiece, the 
temple on Mount Moriah. By this building he wished to im 
mortalize his name. The temple of Zerubbabel was quite a 
good deal smaller than the Solomonic, but stood on the same 
place. He was compelled to tear down the old one, but before 
the Jews would allow him to do that, he was compelled to promise 
that he should build another one. One thousand priests were 



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appointed to superintend the construction of the sanctuary. 
One thousand wagons brought stones to the building, and ten 
thousand men cut them. This was a most beautiful and mag- 
nificent structure, and may be classified among the most splendid 
edifices that human hands have reared. The Jews told us that 
it was in construction during forty-six years, and yet it took 
another eighteen years before it was finished. It stood complete 
for six years, when in 70 A. D. it was burnt down by soldiers 
when Jerusalem, at that time, was captured. There are some 
authors who hold that the building was ready in two and a half 
years, but that the additional structures required still eight 
years. On the north side of the temple he built the fortress 
Baris, or rather rebuilt it and called it Antonia in commemora- 
tion of Antonius. We must pass by a great deal of what this 
man did. Suffice it to say, that towards the end of his life the 
wise men from the Orient came and inquired for the new-born 
King of the Jews. The prophecies pointed to Bethlehem as the 
right place and thither they went. The murderous Herod caused 
all boys in Bethlehem, who were two and below two years, to be 
killed. 

With Herod's son, Archelaus the land of Judah lost the last 
remnant of its independence, and after this the country was 
governed by procurators, or governors, appointed by the Roman 
government. These procurators ruled from 6-41 A. D. The one 
mostly known by the Christian world is Pontius Pilate or Pilate, 
who ruled from 26 to 36 of our era. He was a very weak ruler, 
and at the same time cruel and inhuman. During his time the 
greatest event in the annals of man took place. Pontius Pilate 
condemned Jesus Christ, our Saviour, to death. Yonder, on the 
southern part of Acra, is a little knob called Golgotha, or Place 
of Skull. To this place He was brought, who had done no evil, 
and in whose mouth no guile was found. Here he was made a 



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sin .offering for us, in order that we might inherit the eternal 
life. Yonder on the hill He hung on the cross between two male- 
factors. 

Let us hasten over the history till the year 70. For years 
J erusalem was an arena for wars and bloodshed. At last the city 
became a carcass for the Roman eagles. The hour of revenge is 
come. Yonder to the north Titus appeared with his army on 
Mount Scopus. The words, spoken by the Master when he was 
sitting here on this mount somewhere, shall be fulfilled : ' ' There 
shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown 
down." (Matt, 23 :2.) The army of Titus numbered about 60,000 
soldiers without servants. After fifteen days the army of Titus 
was located on Bethzeta, and had thus passed the first, or Agrip- 
pa's wall; in a short time his army had taken the place between 
this and the second. The distress among the besieged was in- 
describable. On the eighth of September Titus broke into the 
city. Now about 1,000,000 were killed during the siege. The 
Jews had to give in to the superior power of the Romans. The 
words of Christ became literally fulfilled, the temple was burnt, 
and the plow was driven over the Hill of Moriah. From this 
date, A. D. 70, the real Roman period begins (70-637). Jeru- 
salem is forgotten and nothing is said of it for half a century. 
But in the first part of the second century another war breaks 
out. It is the false Messiah, Bar Cochba, who is tn-ing to rebuild 
the city and temple. Without doubt the Holy City was left 
to itself after its destruction by Titus. Jews by the thousands 
are gathered around Bar Cochba. The rebellion must be crushed. 
Hadrian succeeded in crushing it, every building in Jerusalem 
was leveled to the ground, and they drove the plow over the 
temple place as an indication that no temple should be built 
there any more. Their last refuge was Betir, of which place 
we have spoken before on our way to Jerusalem. But even this 



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place must give in. This happened on the 9th of August, the 
very same day that the temple was destroyed by Nebucadnezzar 
in 588 B. C, and the Herodian temple in 70 A. D. 

Hadrian caused a Jupiter temple to be built on Moriah. The 
J ews were forbidden to come nearer Jerusalem than three Roman 
miles (15,000 feet). They were not even permitted to look at 
it from a distance. The Christians were permitted to live in 
Jerusalem, but under oppressing conditions. Hadrian built a 
Venus temple over the grave of Christ, so as to make the place 
very detestable for the Christians. He gave the city another 
name, Aelia Capitolina. Jerusalem was to become a heathen 
city in every way. 

In the year 326 we find the Empress Helena in the Holy 
City. She is here at the command of her son, Emperor Con- 
stantine, to investigate the holy places. Julian, the Apostate, 
sought to build another temple on Mount Moriah, but a subter- 
ranean fire broke out against him, as Amenianus Marcellinus, 
the companion of the Emperor, informs us. He had to give up 
building the temple. In 529 the emperor built a church on 
Moriah, on the place where the Mosque El-Aksa now stands. The 
Persian king, Cosroes II, captured Jerusalem, destroyed the 
church and killed a great number of monks and priests. Then 
the Mohammedan period is ushered in. In 637 Jerusalem and 
the whole of Palestine is taken by the Mohammedans under the 
Caliph Omar. After this period comes the era of the Crusades 
(1099-1191). Mighty armies rush toward the coasts of the Holy 
Land, and the holy places are now held in very high esteem. 
Eight great Crusades are undertaken to the Holy Land; and 
besides this, the children's Crusade. The kingdom of Jerusalem 
lasted for 88 years. The Sultan of Damascus, Saladin, conquered 
the army of the Crusaders on the plain below the Mount of 
Beatitudes in 1187, and the same year Jerusalem and Palestine 



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were taken. Now a period of tribulation came for the Christians. 
They were permitted to keep only the Church of the Holy Sepul- 
cre; everything else was taken from them. In 1517 Jerusalem 
came under the Turkish scepter, and since that time there have 
not been many changes in the old program. Thousands of Jews 
have moved into Jerusalem during the last decades. Here they 
have settled in the southeastern and in the northwestern parts 
of the city. 

Such, in brief, is the history of the Holy City. We have 
touched upon only a few facts in the various periods. There is 
not a city in the world, that has had such a changeable history 
as this. During the course of 3,000 years it has been besieged 
not less than thirty-five times. The enemy has captured Jeru- 
salem twenty-six times and plundered it just as many times. 
It has been leveled to the ground three times ; by Nebucadnezzar 
in 588 B. C, by Titus in 70 A. D., and by Hadrian in 135 A. D. 
These and a thousand other thoughts crowd our mind as we are 
standing on the Mount of Olives. Now if my worthy reader 
wishes to follow me, we shall wander about in the Holy City 
and its surroundings to find out the conditions in that city at 
present. 

In the morning, the 18th of September, I rose early, but did 
not feel well. At this time of the year the Syrian fever was very 
common in Palestine, and a great many people were sick with this 
disease. The fever is called Abu Rukeb, or father of the knee, 
because it makes itself manifest, to begin with, in the knees, and 
then a fearful itch follows. I secured some medicine for the 
fever and it helped me a great deal. At this time it was very 
warm here, and I secured thin garments for such a climate. 
Then I went to the American consulate to find if there was any 
mail from home. Later on I met my dragoman, Mr. Ephraim 
Aboosh. He promised to help me with a suitable place to live in, 



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where I could have more quiet than I had at the Hotel Fast. 
After a good deal of futile searching, owing to the prevalence 
of the Syrian fever, we were at last accommodated at the main 
building in the American colony. From my room in the upper 
story I had an excellent view of the Mount of Olives, to the east 
and northeast, and Mispa, or Nebi Samwil in the northwest. A 
better room I could not have received anywhere, and I had a 
splendid opportunity to learn to know more closely my recently 
acquired friends in the colony. Perhaps it would not be out of 
place to relate something about this colony. 

About forty years ago a woman went from Chicago over 
the Atlantic to France. Her name was Anna Spafford. She 
was a Norwegian lady by birth, born in Stavanger, Norway, and 
was the wife of a well-to-do lawyer in Chicago. In the 
middle of the Atlantic Ocean a sailing vessel ran into the 
steamer and in fifteen minutes the boat sank with nearly all the 
passengers. About seven hundred were on board and eighty-two 
were rescued. Mrs. Anna Spafford was one of them. She was 
unconscious and was floating about in the water, on some wreck- 
age when she was miraculously saved; but her two daughters, 
whom she was taking to France to be educated, were drowned. 
Having landed in Europe, she sent her husband this laconic 
telegram, ' ' Saved alone. ' ' Mrs. Spafford thought she must have 
been saved for some purpose, and so she went to Jerusalem in 
1881 with seven others and founded this colony. After awhile 
there came others from Chicago and a few from Dalcarlia in 
Sweden ; and the number of the colonists grew continually. At 
present there are about 120 altogether, and of these about forty 
are Swedes, either from Chicago or from Dalcarlia. Such is, in 
short, the history of the foundation of the colony and its de- 
velopment. 



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It was a Saturday evening when I moved into the colony. 
My room was well furnished and had a kind of cupola for a roof. 
This form of roof is better adapted for the hot climate, and 
although the weather was very warm during the weeks that I was 
in the city, my room was cool and very agreeable. I felt at home 
in this colony at once. They spoke the American language all 
the time. 

Before the meals they rang a little bell. The first ringing 
signified that you should make ready for the meal, and the second, 
that you should gather in the dining hall. I came in with the 
rest of them and was given a place between Mr. H. L. Larson 
and Mr. Jacob Elliahu. I could not have wished for better table 
companions. The dining room was large and spacious, the table 
well set and everything reminded me of the New World. When 
all had gathered at their various places, I expected that some 
one should say grace. But no one did it. Instead they united 
in singing the following verse : 

' ' The Lord is great, the Lord is good, 
And we thank Him for this food. 
By His hand must all be made. 
Give us, Lord, our daily bread." 

Their beautiful voices sounded harmoniously through the dining 
hall, and I felt good to be at a table where the guests received 
their daily bread with thanksgiving. The meals were always 
well prepared and served in the ways of the New World. No 
wonder that I felt so at home with these people. When I re- 
turned, tired and weary from my journeys, I always found a 
pleasant refuge among these friends, and all the time they treated 
me in a gentlemanly and Christian manner. 

Economically they seem to believe in a kind of socialism and 
have, as far as I could determine, everything in common. Every 



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one has something to do, and the best harmony prevails among 
them as far as I could ascertain. But the socialism of the Ameri- 
can colony here in the Holy City is not of the modern kind, 
but bears the trait of the socialism of the first Christians in this 
city. No one complained. Every one has his special work to 
do and this he does in a quiet manner. 

They have had a hard time to row through in former days, 
as I was told, but now the colony is on a good financial footing. 
The religious tendency among them seems to be a certain kind 
of adventism. They live a Christian life. Every morning they 
come together in their chapel and read God's word, sing and 
pray. It was refreshing to see them come together and study 
the Bible ; and we must say that they are very familiar with the 
teachings of the Scriptures. Every Sunday they come together 
around the word, when someone reads a selection from the 
Bible and makes some comments on that which has been read. 
Then they sing and pray as we do at our prayer meetings. One 
of them told me after their devotional hour, " These are very 
precious hours, and I do not want to miss them for anything. 
They are necessary for the spiritual life." The man was right. 
It is well known that these Americans and Swedes came to 
Jerusalem to be prepared for the coming of the Lord, and they 
considered that Jerusalem was the proper place. 

They have had some scruples regarding marriage and con- 
sidered it as belonging to this world, and some thing that they 
should not concern themselves with. But they have modified 
their ideas as to marriage of late, and now they permit mar- 
riage. The German Lutheran pastor in the city performs the 
marriage ceremony. The colonists are very social and hos- 
pitable. The stranger is cordially invited to their colony and 
is entertained with the very best refreshments. The tourist is 
then generally shown around in the various buildings and can 



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see whatever there is to be seen. The Mohammedans have free 
social intercourse with them and prominent men of Islam are 
often found at their table. During my stay in the colony a 
certain Mohammedan was invited to their table; and a few 
days later he extended an invitation to them and invited me 
also to come along. His home was at the foot of the Mount of 
Olives. That very day, when he had invited us, I did not feel 
very well, and could not accept his kind invitation. This con- 
fidence they have won because of their Christian life and the 
many acts of kindness and mercy shown to needy Moham- 
medans, often poor Arabs knock at the doors of the colony, 
asking for help, and they do not need to knock to deaf ears. 
Well-to-do tourists have left large sums to them to be used in 
educating poor boys and girls, and it is needless to remark that 
this work has been well taken care of. 

One of the members informed me that they have had trying 
times to pass through, not only because of poverty, but also on 
account of persecution. They were persecuted not only by the 
Mohammedans and Jews, but also by the Christians. Their 
dead were sometimes not allowed to slumber undisturbed in 
their graves. Now they have come to see happier and more hopeful 
days and look to the future with confidence and hope. The 
colony is prospering and will, no doubt, continue to do so. 

The people in this community have a very pleasant time 
and make the best of it. One day I attended a birthday festi- 
val and this reminded me very much of a Sunday school festival 
in America, when presents were distributed among the children. 
Usually such festivals are held every month and presents are 
then given to those, who during the month have had their 
birthday. When they had distributed the presents they sang, 
played and had a good social time. They sing and play very 
well and it was a pleasure for me to be present. Refreshments 

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were served at last. Some one had found out that I had my 
birthday during my absence in the northern part of the coun- 
try, and when I came back and attended one of those birthday 
festivals, I was the recipient of a very fine picture of the altar 
painting of the Russian Gethsemane church in Jerusalem. 

Such is the history of the American colony in Jerusalem 
at the present time. I shall never forget their kindness in 
every way, and especially, when sickness overtook me on my 
journey in Philistia. 

During my first evening among my newly acquired friends 
my dragoman came to me and offered to take me to the church 
of the Holy Sepulchre, and he did so. He promised 
to meet me at the Jaffa gate next Sunday morning, 
and so he bade me good night. The 19th of September I arose 
at six o'clock in the morning, had my breakfast, and went out 
to go to church. Never before had I been able to attend 
church in Jerusalem, and I felt rather peculiar. The morning 
was perfect, not a cloud on the firmament, everything was so 
very quiet. A certain peace rested over the community that 
morning. The Arabs rode on their camels or donkeys, some 
of them were walking. No matter how early you may rise, the 
Arabs are still ahead of you. We came to the church at eight 
o'clock. Here we are on holy ground and we must obey the 
admonition, given to Moses at the mount of Horeb, "Put off 
thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou stand- 
est is holy ground." (Ex. 3:5.) But before we enter into this 
sanctuary, let us ask ourselves some questions. Are Golgotha 
and the Holy Sepulchre within this church? If so, what evi- 
dence have we for this assertion? Let us consider some of the 
evidences that speak in favor of this place. 

According to the story of the evangelist John, "the place 
where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city" (Joh. 19: 20). 



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In Hebrews we also read, that " Jesus suffered without the 
gate. Let us go forth therefore unto Him without the camp, 
bearing his reproach" (Heb. 13: 12). The place is called in 
Hebrew Gulgoleth. This word means place of scull. 
AVe must observe that the place is not called Places of 
Sculls, but Place of Scull. Luke calls it Scull (Luk. 23: 33). 
The place is designated as a place and not as a "mountain." 
It is possible that Gulgoleth was a place of execution, where 
criminals were executed. It has been customary to execute 
those doomed to death, outside of the Jaffa gate. The last exe- 
cution took place here in 1868. 

Another reason why the place was called Place of Scull, 
was this — that the shape of the hill reminded one very much of 
a scull, and this idea is, perhaps, the right one. The Pilgrim 
from Bordeaux (333) is the first one who speaks about the form 
of Golgotha, and calls it a "little knob." It is possible that 
the place had received its name from the form of the knob, and 
that this was used as a place of execution. Mark calls it the 
place Golgotha (Mark 15: 22), and Matthew says, "a place 
called Golgotha" (Matt. 27: 33), and according to John it is 
written, "in the place where he was crucified was a garden; 
and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet 
laid" (John 19: 41). There is no one who can doubt that the 
apostles knew where Golgotha and the Holy Sepulchre were. 
It is also reasonable to suppose that the one hundred and 
twenty souls, constituting the first congregation in Jerusalem, 
shortly before the ascension of the Lord, knew where those 
holy places were. Many of those who saw the wonderful 
things that took place at His death and resurrection, must have 
known where the grave of the wonderful teacher was located. 
The churchfather, Eusebius of Caesarea (340), has given us a 
list of those thirty-eight bishops, from the time of Christ to Con- 



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stantine. The first one was James, the brother of the Lord, 
who was chosen bishop two years after the death of Christ. 
The second bishop was a relative of the Lord by the name of 
Simon. He was crucified in the time of Trajan, 107, or accord- 
ing to other authorities in 116, and was then 120 years old. 
Thus he was born 13 years B. C. and had served as bishop in 
Jerusalem seven years before its destruction by Titus in the 
year 70, and 37 or 46 years after the same. We must acknowl- 
edge that this man knew where the holy places were, even if 
the destruction had been worse than it was. It is unreasonable 
to believe that the holy places could be forgotten in an age, 
when the teachings of Christ were spread over the world so 
rapidly, and when thousands came to the Holy City to visit 
the sacred places. We know that during the first Pentecost 
after the ascension of Christ three thousand souls were united 
with the mother church in Jerusalem. Of course we bear in 
mind that during the time when Titus besieged the city, many 
Christians left and sought refuge in the mountain city of Pella, 
on the other side of the Jordan, and others sought refuge in 
grottoes and caves along the Cedron valley. But there were 
many Christians in Jerusalem, who were sick and feeble and 
could not leave. They remained among the ruins. The siege 
lasted not quite five months and as soon as this was finished, 
the people returned. We can hardly believe that the 
Christians, who had been absent only five months, should have 
forgotten places so dear to them, places that reminded them of 
so much. 

We have already told the reader what the Emperor Hadrian 
did in Jerusalem in his endeavors to sweep away every trace of 
Judaism and Christianity in the Holy City. He built a Venus' 
temple over the Holy Sepulchre, having first of all made it 
unclean, and placed a pile of dirt over the grave. 



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When the Empress Helena, at the instigation of her son, 
Constantine the Great, visited the holy places in 326, she found 
that the Venus temple was still there, profaning the Holy 
Sepulchre. She was then 80 years old. Then the emperor 
wrote to the bishop in Jerusalem, Macarius, that he should 
remove the Venus-temple and the heap of dirt, and that he 
should build a church on the spot at the expense of the em- 
peror. Parts of this church are still left at the present time, 
and the crypt of that church of Constantine is used by the 
Copts as a cistern. We find that they are not in doubt in the 
least as to where the holy place is to be found. The place was 
then recognized by all. The church, built by Constantine 
over the Holy Sepulchre, is called Anastasia or the Resurrec- 
tion. A little to the east of this another splendid edifice was 
erected, called Martyrion, because it was built on the very 
place where St. Helena found the holy cross. Eukarius (440) 
tells us of a church over Golgotha. When the Persian king, 
Chosroes, 614, destroyed these churches, they are said to have 
been four in number, and were at once rebuilt on the very same 
foundation, only to be torn down by the Mohammedans in 1010. 
But they were rebuilt again. The crusaders united them 
under the same roof, and thus we have the irregular form of 
this church. It is the same church that today stands there on 
the Holy Place. In 1818 this edifice was somewhat destroyed 
by fire, but it is the same church in essentially the same form. 
Now I wish to leave this matter to the reader to determine, 
whether there is any reason to believe that the place is the 
right one. 

Let us now enter this sanctuary. A wonderful feeling 
passed through my soul as I placed my feet on the floor of this 
church. The first thing to occupy my mind was a stone on the 
floor of the church, about two feet wide, six feet long, and one 



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foot high above the floor. They were celebrating high mass 
in all the chapels of the church and there was quite a loud noise 
and murmuring, for they sang, prayed, and read in every cor- 
ner of the building. My guide remarked, ''How much better, 
if they would preach God's pure word in this historic place!" 

I stopped in front of the stone and observed how the pilgrims 
and others fell down on their knees and kissed this stone very 
eagerly. You wonder why? The report is that the body of 
our Saviour was placed on this stone, when they took Him 
down from the cross. Remember that Golgotha is in the south- 
eastern part of this church in a separate chapel. The stone is 
called the Stone of Ointment, because Joseph of Arimathosa 
and Nicodemus are said to have placed the body of the Lord 
on this stone, when they "took Jesus and wound him in linen 
cloths with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury" 
(Joh. 19: 40). Very quietly we walked from place to place, 
while the monks were saying mass. We went into the Coptic 
chapel and after that into the Syrian Jacobite chapel in the 
western part of the church. There we stood a long time and 
watched them, reading their mass ; and I must confess that they 
left a repugnant impression on us. Some of the monks looked 
to be very idiotic, and I had occasion to join in with my guide, 
Mr. Aboosh, "Too bad, that the pure Gospel of Christ is not 
preached here !" In a Greek chapel they were reading respon- 
sively selections of the Scriptures as a part of the mass. I felt 
more at home in this chapel. Mr. Aboosh left me for awhile. 
I followed him out into the street. There I waited until the 
masses were over, and then I went in again, because I felt that 
I must have a little while with my Master at the place where 
he was crucified for me. I wanted to be alone at such a time. 
Quietly I went into the church, which at this time was almost 
empty; the mass was ended. Only a few monks were moving 



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around in the various chapels and pilgrims here and there were 
kneeling at the various altars. Now I was alone, a stranger, and 
could go wherever I pleased. I determined to go into the Gol- 
gotha chapel. This belongs to the Greeks, has no windows, and 
is lighted by lamps. The altar is in the eastern end of this little 
shrine. Under the altar is a silver plate with a hole in it. 
Here the cross is said to have stood. A very peculiar feeling 
passed through my soul and I felt myself drawn to the hole 
under the altar. The next moment found me on my knees by 
the hole, and I was engaged in prayer to God, thanking Him 
for the atoning blood of His dear Son, my blessed Saviour. 
Tears flowed down my cheeks and I felt as though I had been 
carried away from the earth. This was one of my happiest 
moments during my journeys in the Land of Promise. Having 
offered prayer, I wandered about, engaged in deep meditation 
on the great events that have taken place here. Then I noticed 
some other places of interest in this chapel. A little distance 
to the south of the place, where Christ was crucified, the spot 
is found where one of the robbers was crucified, and on the 
north side the other hole is shown, where the other robber w r as 
crucified. About six feet from the silver plate I saw the naked 
rock and an opening in it. A piece of board is placed over the 
cliff at that place. I removed the piece of board and saw the 
rift very clearly. Here we remind ourselves of the words 
of the evangelist, "And the earth did quake, and the rocks 
rent." (Matt. 27: 51.) On the south side of this is the chapel 
of crucifixion. Here Christ was nailed to the cross. The altar 
painting represents the act of crucifixion. In the east end of 
the room the very place is shown by a marble slab in the floor. 
The chapels belongs to the Roman Catholics. Another chapel 
on the south side of the crucifixion is called the Chapel of the 
suffering of the Virgin Mary. Right near by are many smaller 

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rooms. Here on Golgotha is the Adam-chapel. According to 
a Catholic tradition Adam was buried on this hill, and when 
Christ was crucified, blood fell down on Adam's skull and 
resurrected him. This is only a monk story, but there is a 
beautiful thought behind this. The transgression of Adam 
brought sin into the world, and with sin came death and 
misery. Christ came and with his blood granted life and salva- 
tion to the children of Adam. 

After a while I went down from the Golgotha chapel, and 
into the church proper. This is called Catholicon and belongs 
to the Greeks. On this place stood the old church of the 
crusaders. This edifice was built on the place where the gar- 
den of Joseph was located. The chapel is richly decorated 
and looks rather inviting. Around this is an aisle. If we fol- 
low this circular aisle, from north to south, we come first of all 
to the chapel of Saint Longinus. According to tradition this 
man was the soldier who pierced the side of Jesus with a spear 
(Joh. 19 : 34). This Longinus was blind on one eye, and as he 
did open the side of the Saviour with his spear, his eye was 
healed. Later he became a Christian. A little further on in 
the aisle there is a little chapel where the soldiers divided the 
clothes of Jesus. (John 19:23.) And now we come to the 
chapel called the place of mockery. Here Christ was crowned 
with a crown of thorns. While we are here, let us step down 
into the St. Helena chapel. The basilica of Constantine, or the 
martyrion, was erected here. There are two altars in this 
chapel. One is dedicated to the honor of the Empress Helena, 
and the other is sanctified to the honor of the penitent robber. 
In the southeast corner of this chapel is a stair, leading down 
13 steps. In this place St. Helena is supposed to have found 
the holy cross. A bronze statue of the Empress with a cross in 
the hand reminds us of what happened here during her visit to 



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the holy places. This chapel, which once upon a time must 
have been a cistern, hewn out of the solid rock, has not always 
been given as the place where she discovered the cross. 
Formerly they said that St. Helena's chapel was the place 
where she found it. While I was down in these rooms, I 
observed how the solid rock extended right up to the Golgotha 
chapel. By careful investigations they have found that Gol- 
gotha is a knob, jutting out on the southern part of Acra. At 
one time the top of Golgotha must have been about 90 feet 
higher than the bottom of the Tyropoean Valley. From these 
chapels I went up into the western part of the church proper. 
Here in the middle of the floor is the little chapel containing 
the Holy Sepulchre. The Sepulchre itself is in the middle of 
the floor under the cupola. This little chapel, very richly 
decorated outside and within, is 26 feet long, 18 feet wide, and 
about 29 feet high. 

Before we enter this wonderful place, let us consider what 
you will see if you stand as a close observer in front of the 
same. To this place pilgrims are coming from all parts of the 
world. Here I saw, while the mass was going on, how the pil- 
grims were standing with uncovered heads, and with folded 
hands, saying their prayers, before they entered. Some take 
off their shoes, because they consider themselves unworthy to 
have the shoes on their feet when they come in on such holy 
ground ; others are kneeling, while they say their prayers. In 
the faces of those who worshipped at these holy places, I 
observed the most holy reverence and devotion. There are 
some who creep into the Holy Sepulchre. The entrance is on 
the east side. The chapel consists of two parts. The first is 
called the Chapel of the Angels and there are fifteen lamps 
burning here. In the middle of the floor is a stone and it is 
supposed to be one that the angels rolled away, and sat upon. 

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(Matt. 28 : 1-2.) From this chapel is a door through which you 
enter into the Sepulchre. The door is so low that you must 
bend down in order to get in there. There are 43 lamps in this 
chapel. When you enter, you find a marble slab, under which 
you see the stone on which the body of Christ rested. The 
whole church and all the chapels are decorated in a most 
luxurious way ; gold, silver, and costly stones are found every- 
where. These have, been placed there in later times, thus 
spoiling the sacred places. It is supposed that when the church 
was destroyed by the Persians in 614, and then rebuilt again, 
the stone around the Holy Sepulchre was cut away and only 
the tomb was left. If you would remove all these ornaments, 
you would find the old rocks that were there originally inside 
this extraordinary decoration. During my visit here at the 
time of the mass, there were so many worshippers, that I could 
not get in; now I was all alone, and in a few minutes knelt 
at the tomb of the Master, thanking him for His victorious 
resurrection, whereby He has become a Prince of salvation for 
them that believe. Paul affirms, "If Christ be not risen, then 
is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain." (I Cor. 15: 
17.) In a most wonderful manner I felt the significance of the 
resurrection of the Lord, and with a thankful heart I went out 
of His grave, which as far as I can judge, is the right one. 
Leaving the grave, you go out backwards, so as not to turn 
your back on the holy place. The place round about the Holy 
Sepulchre is in the form of a circle, and a number of small 
chapels are found even here. On the west side of the Tomb is 
the chapel of the Copts, of which we have spoken before. On 
the north side of the Sepulchre is the Resurrection chapel. 
This belongs to the Greeks. At this place Christ is supposed to 
have revealed himself to his mother, the Virgin Mary. Our 
New Testament says nothing about that. Among other things 



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of interest in this room is the pillar to which Jesus was bound 
when He was scourged. When you come out of this, you have 
to the right the sacristy of the Roman Catholics. Here you 
will find many relics from the era of the crusaders. 

Around this church graves have been found. This fact 
would mean something for the correctness of the place, because 
the Jews did not wish to have a cemetery within the walls. 
This would make them impure in accordance with the cere- 
monial law. The Jews have their places of burial at a certain 
distance from the dwelling places of man. 

This place has a great interest for us as Christians, and no 
wonder that I found it exceedingly difficult to leave it. I could 
not free myself from the thought that here the great wonder 
took place, the most wonderful event in the history of man, the 
victorious resurrection of the Lord and Saviour. How much 
more edifying would it not be, if, instead of these masses, there 
would be preaching of the gospel truth. The Protestant tour- 
ist as a pilgrim in these holy places feels a certain commiser- 
ation with those who are thus bound in the fetters of 
superstition and dead orthodoxy. A reformation is very neces- 
sary here, so that this people might learn to know the liberating 
power of Jesus Christ. May the day come soon! 

After awhile my guide came back and we went to Muris- 
tan. This locality is quite near the Holy Sepulchre. The 
German church of the Redeemer is in the northeastern part of 
it. When we arrived, the sexton was there already, and by his 
permission we went up in the 135-foot high tower, from which 
we had a most splendid view of the vicinity. The Frederick 
William street passes along Muristan from north to south, and 
this street separates the Greek and the German quarters in this 
locality. In this place the crusaders erected a number of 
buildings, and there are piles of ruins dating from that time. 



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It proved to be quite a task to go up in the tower, but we were 
rewarded greatly. 

At the time of the regular service we went up to the 
American church in the New City.The pastor delievered a good 
sermon and it was a treat to hear the gospel in Jerusalem. 
Only few were present at the service in the forenoon. The 
people attending this church belong to another American 
colony, which is being formed in the New Jerusalem, to the 
northwest of the Jaffa gate. 

In the afternoon I went out to see the city and its holy 
places. I wished to be alone, and for this reason I did not 
take a guide with me on my wanderings in the city and its 
surroundings. The obective of my journey this afternoon was 
Gethsemane and the Mount of Olives. I went to the Damascus 
gate. 

Turning to the left, I followed the wall with the Jeremiah 
grotto to the left. Past the Herod gate I walked on in the hot 
sun, and came at last to the northeast corner of the city. Here 
I turned to the right, following the walk southward to the Stephen 
gate where I turned to the left and followed the road down into 
the valley of Jehoshaphat. Before I went down into this romantic 
valley I carefully observed the mountain just in front of me, a 
mountain so often spoken of in the Scripture. Right before 
me was Gethsemane. Having observed this wonderful pano- 
rama for some time, I went down into the valley and crossed 
the bridge which leads over the brook Cedron. There is no 
water there now, but in the winter you will find water in this 
valley. From this place there are four roads, leading over the 
Mount of Olives. One facing in a southeasterly direction goes 
to Jericho, passing by the Mount of Offence ; another brings you 
straight to the place called the Graves of the Prophets ; a third 
one to the place where Jesus wept over the city; and a fourth 



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one in a northeasterly direction to Viri Galilaei. and the Ger- 
man Hospital. To the left of the bridge, a little distance 
further north, is the chapel of the Virgin Mary. She is supposed 
to be buried there. The church is without doubt built on the 
ruins of an older one. It is on the bank of Cedron. 

Now let us enter the garden of Gethseniane. Outside the 
gate you observe large, flat stones. On these stones the 
disciples slept when Jesus was praying, a stone's cast from 
here. The gate was open and I entered. It is very low. 
There is a reason for it. He who wishes to follow the Master 
in his sufferings, must bend deep down in the dust and learn 
humility. This you will learn in the valley of sufferings. 
Having come through the gate, I met the good old Franciscan 
monk, who received me very cordially. He told another monk, 
who also was in the garden, to pick some flowers and give them 
to me. He did so and I gave him one franc as bakschisch. He 
gave me permission to sit down and rest, and I did so, reading 
the story of Christ's suffering in this garden. It was a very 
interesting hour. As I looked northward along the valley I 
had the Holy City to the left and the interesting Mount of 
Olives to the right. The evangelist Luke says, "And He came 
out. and went, as He was wont, to the Mount of Olives ; and His 
disciples also followed Him. And when He was at the place 
(Gethseniane), He said unto them. Pray that ye enter not into 
temptation. And He was withdrawn from them about a 
stone's cast, and kneeled down and prayed, saying, Father, if 
thou be willing, remove this cup from me : nevertheless not my 
will, but thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto 
Him from heaven strengthening him. And being in an agony 
He prayed more earnestly : and His sweat was as it were great 
drops of blood falling down to the ground. And when He 
rose up from prayer, and was come to His disciples, He found 

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them sleeping for sorrow. And he said nnto them, "Why 
sleep ye? Rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation." (Luke 
23: 39-46.) Here it was that you, my dear Saviour, tasted the 
bitterness of sin, when you drank the cup of suffering for the 
sins of the world, that very cup, which we should have drunk 
to the bottom, because of our sins and transgressions. Sin is 
the most fearful spectacle in this world. It is sin that has 
spread woe and condemnation in this world and caused the 
Holy and Pure One to sweat blood. A stone's cast from 
Gethsemane and we are at the Grotto of Suffering. Here it 
was that our Saviour drank the bitter cup and did sweat blood. 
The monk that followed me to this grotto spoke German, and 
was very willing to explain the various localities. There are 
eight old olive trees in the garden of Gethsemane. The garden 
is only 150 feet long and 100 feet wide. There are beds of 
flowers and quite a few cypress trees within these stone walls. 
To this place Judas came in the night, when Jesus was be- 
trayed. We know this story and realize how he rewarded his 
blessed Master for the love and kindness bestowed upon him. 
The reward of the world is thanklessness. 

Now let us continue our journey up the Mount of Olives. 
The sun was so warm on the western slope of the Mount that I 
was obliged to stop in order to rest. I looked back on the 
highly interesting view before me. The higher I came, the 
more glorious the sight. At last I arrived at the place called 
the Graves of the Prophets. This place is so called, because 
some of the prophets are said to have been buried here. 

This is no mountain in the proper sense of the word, only a 
ridge, situated 2,665 feet above the level of the sea. The place 
where we are now standing is not the highest part of the 
mountain. The Graves of the Prophets are a little to the south 
east from Gethsemane, and straight east from the south east 



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corner of the wall. Here I found many subterranean tombs, 
and as I was walking along, I almost fell into some of them, 
because of the rubbish which had gathered before the opening. 
No one knows when these tombs were cut and nothing is 
known of their history. Nothing has ever, as far as it is 
known, been found in them.. To the south of us we have the 
Mount of Offence, right by the road leading to Bethany. This 
Mount is the lowest of all the points of the Olives. Think of 
the history connected with this Mount! The first time it is 
spoken of in the Scriptures is in connection with the flight of 
David for his son, Absalom. Concerning this flight we read, 
" David said to Ittai, "Go and pass over. And Ittai, the Gittite 
passed over, and all his men, and all the little ones that were 
with him. And all the country wept with a loud voice, and all 
the people passed over: the king also himself passed over the 
brook Cedron, and all the people passed over, toward the way 
of the wilderness. And David went up by the ascent of 
Olive, and wept as he went up, and had his head covered, and 
he went barefoot : and all the people that were with him 
covered every man his head, and went up, weeping as they 
went. And it came to pass, that when David was come to the 
top of the mount, where he worshipped God, behold Hushai, the 
Archite came to meet him with his coat rent, and earth upon his 
head." (II Sam. 15:22-23; 15:30-32.) We are not informed as 
to what part of the mountain he crossed. Perhaps he crossed 
straight over the top, otherwise there is a sag in the Mountain 
between the Mount of Offence and the Mount of Ascension. In 
this sag the road leads to Bethany. About the Mount of Of- 
fence we read, "Then did Solomon build a high place for 
Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before 
Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of 
Ammon" (I Kings 11:7). We are not told where this high 

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place was located, but tradition points to the mount of Offence, 
and this is perhaps the right place. Because of this circum- 
stance this mount is to have received its name. This hill is quite 
barren. There are no trees on it. 

From the graves of the Prophets, where I was walking 
about for a long time, studying the various localities, I con- 
tinued my journey to the Mount of Ascension, where the 
Church of Ascension is located. The place is very picturesque, 
but this is not the highest part of the Mount. The Empress 
Helena built a church here in 326. This was in the form of an 
octagon with a cupola without roof. The church has been torn 
down several times, but rebuilt again on the very same spot. 
The present building was erected in 1187 and belongs at 
present to the Mohammedans. The Christians may have ser- 
vices here every Ascension day. In the middle of the church 
there is a part of the Mountain visible, and in the same is a 
mark of a foot. This is supposed to be a mark of the Saviour's 
foot, when He ascended to Heaven. But this is not the right 
place. You can see this from the story of the evangelist 
Luke. 

"And He led them out as far as to Bethany, and He lifted 
up His hands and blessed them. And it came to pass, while He 
blessed them, He was parted from them, and carried up into 
heaven. And they worshipped Him and returned to Jerusalem 
with great joy. And were continually in the temple, praising 
and blessing God." (Luke 24: 50-53.) From this it is clear 
that He led them out towards Bethany. That town you can- 
not see from Jerusalem, nor from the top of the Mount of 
Olives, because there is a ridge that hides it from view. Of 
course Luke says that they returned to Jerusalem from the 
mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's 
journey (Act 1 : 12), but he says nothing about the place. The 



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ascension must have taken place somewhere towards Bethany 
on the Mount of Olives. This was more in accordance with the 
nature of such an event. For this reason He chose a more 
secluded place. 

A little to the east of the Church of Ascension is a higher 
place, where we have a very good view of the whole vicinity. 
There is no place on our globe where you can look down upon 
such historic surroundings as from this place. Yonder in the 
west is the Holy City with its thousands of memories; in the 
north we see Mizpa, Rama, Bethel, Ophra, and Gibeah in Ben- 
jamin; in the east we notice the Dead Sea and Jordan; moun- 
tains of Moab with Nebo, where Moses longingly beheld the 
Land of Promise ; in the northeast is Perea with its thousands 
and thousands of memories from past ages ; in the south, Beth- 
lehem is seen on its mountain ridge, and to the southwest, 
on the other side of the Mount of Evil Council, we notice the 
plain of Rephaim and many other important places, spoken of 
in the Scripture. Here I stood a long time, trying to impress 
this picture upon my mind. On the top of the mountain is an 
Arab village called Cepher et-Tur. The Church of Ascension 
is located in this village. In the eastern part of this is the Rus- 
sian church with its 180-foot high tower. In this tower you 
have a most excellent view of the country. Near by this 
church I met some Arab women, who with their hands out- 
stretched cried out, "Bakschisch, chawadje." I extended my 
hand and said "Atheni bakschish!" Then they laughed and 
went away. 

Continuing my wanderings, I came to that part of the 
Mount of Olives called Viri Galilaei. Before I came to this 
part, I passed a little sag in the ridge. Here is where the road 
goes to Bethany. The place where the disciples saw the two 
men in white robes is indicated by two white pillars. 



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I returned to the colony, taking the same road on which 
I had come. Near the Chnrch of Ascension I met some Greek 
priests with high, black caps. They spoke French and ex- 
plained something about the locality. 

Nearby the place, where I met the priests, is the spot 
where Christ wept over Jerusalem. On Palm Sunday He came 
from Bethany over the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem. ''And 
when He was come near, He beheld the city, and wept over it." 
(Luke 19: 41.) Now it depends upon where Bethphage was 
located. Some Bible students hold that this town was located 
somewhere along the road leading from Jerusalem to Bethany, 
by way of the Mount of Offence; but by excavations in later 
times they have found evidences that Bethphage was situated 
between Bethany and Cepher et-Tur, not far from the Russian 
church. It is likely that this is the right place. The early 
tradition points to a place on the western slope of the mountain 
between Gethsemane and Mount of Ascension. This place can- 
not be the right one, because long before He came to this place, 
He saw the city. 

Having left the Greek priests, I returned to the tombs of 
the Prophets; where I read the story of Christ's entry into 
Jerusalem, and then returned to Gethsemane. Here I sat down 
awhile until the sun set below the mountains of Judah. The 
moon shone in the west, and some stars began to appear on the 
firmament. Then I returned, leaving the Franciscan monks in 
the garden, and went homeward, thinking of what I had seen 
during the day, my first Sunday in Jerusalem. How could I 
leave Him out of my mind, who 2,000 years ago was walking 
down in this locality with his disciples, prepared to suffer and 
to die. Walking by the Stephen gate and along the northern 
wall to the Damascus gate, I came to my room in the Colony. 
It was dark when I returned, but the day was well spent. I 



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had seen the Garden of Gethseniane, Mount of Olives, and its 
wonderful surroundings, Golgotha and the Holy Sepulchre. 
With these thoughts in my mind I went to bed and slept well 
till the following morning. 

Monday, September 20th, I went out again alone. This 
time I went to see the monuments along the Jehoshaphat and 
Ben-Hinnom valleys. Following the same route as the day 
before. I eame to Gethsemane, and followed the valley south- 
ward. On the slope of the Mount of Olives by the roadside to 
Bethany is a very large Jewish cemetery with thousands of 
monuments and the inscriptions are, of course, in Hebrew. To 
the right as we proceed down the valley is the Golden gate. 
The valley is very deep and. no doubt, it has been still deeper. 
There are many graves here. Deep down in the valley is the 
grave of Jehoshaphat. This is cut out in the hill and is quite 
large. Only the entrance is visible. The Jews have closed up 
the doorway. This sepulchre is named after the king in Judah, 
Jekosaphat. who was buried here, ''and slept with his father." 
(I Tlings 22 : 51.) Xearby is the monument of Absalom. This 
is cut out from the hill and is free from it. On the top of this 
monument there is a kind of a tower. The whole height is 52 
feet. Xow concerning this we read. "Absalom in his lifetime 
had taken and reared up for himself a pillar, which is in the 
king's dale: for he said, I have no son to keep my name in 
remembrance : and he called the pillar after his own name : and 
it is called unto this day, Absalom's place'' (II Kings 18: 18.) 
Xo Jew goes by this place without spitting on it or throwing a 
stone at it. Xot far from this is Saint James' tomb. This is 
also cut out in the mountain and there are several rooms 
therein. Four Doric pillars stand at the entrance. The 
church historian Eusebius reminds us, "that James, the brother 
of the Lord and the first bishop in Jerusalem, was thrown down 



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from the pinnacles of the temple, and while he yet lived, he 
was killed with the club of a clothes washer. He was buried 
on spot, and his monument is by the temple." (Eusebius Church 
Hist. 2: 23.) But Josephus says of the same man that he was 
atoned by the high priest Ananias II. (Jos. Hist. 20: 91.) In 
accordance with investigations within the sepulchre it has been 
found that this must have been made before the destruction of 
the Holy City 70 A. D., and after the time of Alexander the 
Great (323). Besides this there is another tomb called the 
Sacharias. Just like the pillar of Absalom, this one is cut out 
of the mountain. No one seems to know anything about this 
tomb. Along the foot of the Mount of Olives there are a great 
many graves, and it looks as though this has been a cemetery in 
the olden times. Having passed a little further onward, I saw 
the village, Cepher Silwam. This is an Arab village on the slope 
of the Mount of Offence. It is very steep here and the houses 
are perched like birds' nests along the side of the mountain. 
The report about the people in that village is that they are very 
hostile and drive strangers away by throwing stones. I began 
to wonder how I would get by this place, especially as I was 
alone. But I walked along and no one seemed inclined to hurt 
me. I continued my journey down the valley until I came to 
the place where the two unite, and a little further down. Here 
I met some Arabs, and inasmuch as this vicinity is not con- 
sidered safe, I did not go any further, but looked over every- 
thing very carefully. At the place where these valleys meet, 
there is on the southwestern slope of the Mount of Offence a 
village for leprous people. Here these poor people live in 
hovels, separated from the rest of humanity. And yet they 
have the right to go into the city and out into the country, if 
they so desire. A good many of them, who live a regular vaga- 
bond life on the streets, begging for their support, have a 



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chance to live in the hospital for the leprous, but they would 
rather be free and shift for themselves. It is a pitiable sight 
to see them sit here and there on the streets with a little cup at 
their side begging. Often their hands and parts of their feet 
are consumed by this terrible disease. At times the flesh is 
,p;one and the bone is bare. The voice becomes hoarse and they 
whisper these words, "Lepros, bakschisch, ja, chawadje" (I am 
leprous, give a present, mister). The leprous people are per- 
mitted to marry and hence the disease is continually spread. 
This should be forbidden and it would help matters a great 
deal. 

Right opposite Cepher Silwam, on the other side of the 
valley, and on the eastern end of the Hill of Evil Council, is 
Aceldama, the Field of Blood. On the north side of this field 
is Ben Hinnom and on the east, the Jehoshaphat valleys. This 
field is bare and desolate. It is really a ridge leaning towards 
the northeast. Judas, who knew in his conscience that he had 
betrayed innocent blood, could not keep the blood-money, but 
went away and threw it in the treasury. Then they bought 
with this money the potter's field for a burial place for 
strangers, and thus it is called the Field of Blood. (Matt. 27 : 3- 
10 ; Acts 1 : 18-19.) This time I did not go up to Acaldama, but 
was satisfied with the good view I had of it in the valley. Right 
opposite the village of the leprous down in the valley is the 
well Ain Rogel, or Joab % or as it is sometimes called, Nehemiah 's 
well. The boundary line between Judah and Benjamin passed 
along here somewhere. Josephus relates that the parks of 
David were located in this section. (Jos. Hist. 7: 14: 4.) The 
well of Joab is 120 feet deep and receives water during the 
rainy season only. It is fed by no spring. Here I saw numbers 
of dirty Arab women with their leather bags, trying to fill them 
with water. They walk around in the water with their dirty 

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feet, they fill their leather sacs and bring them home to drink 
it. Really I do not think that our horses and cows could 
imbibe this dirty liquid. 

Walking along in the valley, I came to the place where 
the old Gehenna was located. The citizens of Jerusalem 
carried out a lot of refuse through the Dung gate and 
placed it here. As a consequence, there was a constant 
fire burning here. This fire, burning night and day, 
became an emblem of hell, the "fire that never shall 
be quenched" (Mark 9:43). Walking along Ophel north- 
ward, I came to the dam Siloam. This is situated quite a 
ways up the ridge and opposite Cepher Silwam. The dam is 
small, but has a most glorious history. It is 53 feet long, 18 
feet wide, and 19 feet deep. A little to the west of this dam is 
the Tyropoean valley. The dam is about 1,000 feet distant 
from the Hill of Moriah, and is spoken of four times in the 
Scriptures (Is. 8:6; Neh. 3 : 15 ; John 9:7; Luke 13 : 4) . Siloam 
receives its water from the Virgin fountain through a subter- 
ranean duct, perhaps cut out in the time of Hezekiah. About 
twenty-five feet from the opening of this tunnel into Siloam 
there were found some Hebrew inscriptions and these inscrip- 
tions tell us that the work on this tunnel was carried on from 
both ends, that the laborers met in the middle, and that the 
length is 2,400 feet. Mr. Condor, who measured the tunnel, 
says that it is 1,706 feet long. Josephus gives the information, 
that the water flowed abundantly in this fountain and that it 
was sweet. During the Feast of Tabernacles water was carried 
in a silver vessel from Siloam to the temple, where amidst great 
rejoicings, it was poured upon the altar. Even here I saw some 
Arab women walk along in the water, filling their jars. They 
came from the village Silwam. The poor people in this vicin- 



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ity bring water from this dam. Everything looked to be in a 
dilapidated condition in and aronnd this historic place. 

From here we move on to the Virgin fountain. This is the 
only spring-well in Jerusalem. A staircase of 16 steps leads 
us down to the floor and from this there is another staircase of 
13 steps down to the water. This well or fountain is not 
spoken of in the Bible, unless it is the Dragon well, spoken of in 
Nehemiah 2 : 13. From there it is only a little distance to the 
Dung-gate. Outside of this there was a heap of refuse, thrown 
there by the people, and I noticed that they have put fire to it 
and here is thus another Gehenna, only a little further to the 
north, and nearer the wall. Let us not forget, though, that the 
wall went further down towards the valley in the ancient 
times. Entering the gate I walked along the street a little 
distance, but there was a fearful smell here, my nose protested 
in going further, and so I returned to the gate. My experience 
here was of the same nature as in Stambul in Constantinople. 
Following the wall to the southwest, I came to the Zion hill. 
The road is steep, and the sun was very warm that morning. 

Outside of the Zion gate is the tomb of David. This is a 
complexity of buildings. The minaret signifies that the prop- 
erty belongs to the Mohammedans. David, Solomon, and eight 
other kings were buried in the city of David on Mount Zion. 
In the book of Nehemiah 3 : 16 we read of David 's sepulcher 
in this Mount. According to the story of Josephus, Johan 
Hyrcanus and King Herod opened the grave of David and took 
a great deal of gold and silver (Jos. Hist. 7: 15: 3; 16: 7: 1). 
In the days of the Apostles the tomb of David was shown on 
Zion (Acts 2:29). In the present tomb of David there is only 
a large coffin, and this is shown by the Mohammedans as 
David's, but according to Scripture there must be several of 
them. The legend that makes this the tomb of David is not 



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older than 1450 A. D. The minaret which we mentioned stands 
by a mosque that once npon a time was a church. In this is a 
hall in which Christ came together with his disciples when He 
instituted the Lord's supper. The hall is now called Coena- 
culum. Epiphanius, bishop of Salamis on the island of Cyprus 
(403), relates that when the emperor of Rome came into the city 
130 A. D. it was in ruins with the exception of a certain house 
and a little church on Zion, in the upper pinnacled story in 
which the apostles gathered, when they came back from the 
Mount of Olives after the ascension of Christ. This story of 
Epiphanius is by some considered unreliable, inasmuch as the 
Pilgrim of Bordeaux does not mention this church. For a 
long time the Christians were permitted to celebrate the Lord's 
supper in this hall, but later on they were forbidden to enter at 
the risk of their life. Dr. F. S. de Hass succeeded once during 
the midnight, while the guards slept, in entering this building. 
But he took his life in his hands for he was in danger every mo- 
ment. He has given us a description of the tomb of David, and 
adds that, if it is not to be found within the building, it is quite 
nearby here. The pilgrims are permitted to enter several 
rooms in this building under the guidance of a Mohammedan. 
Perhaps the great king of Israel will be found some time in the 
crypt on Zion ? Wonderful things happen in these days. 

At a little distance from the tomb of David is the building 
Dormition. According to tradition the mother of Jesus died 
here. In 1898 the Emperor of Germany procured this place and 
gave it to the Catholics, who have now erected a church here. 
During my stay in the city I went to see this building, which 
was then being built. From the tower there is a most excellent 
view of the city and especially of Zion. The Zion gate is quite 
near by. Now I went to the school of Bishop Gobat. This is 
located on the southern slope of Mount Zion, not far from the 



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tomb of David. The school was not yet in session. The watch- 
man's wife opened and received me into their house. His name 
was Baz and both of them spoke English fairly well. She gave 
me lemonade and besides some view cards. This was a God- 
fearing family and it was a pleasure to be with them for some 
time. They asked me to call again, but my time was too 
limited. They took me through the school, showing me the 
dining room, the recitation halls, the chapel, the students' 
rooms, and library. Surely this is quite an institution ! 

The following morning, September 21, 1 signed the contract 
for my journeys in various parts of the country. Having done 
this, I went out again to see the city. This time I went down 
through Ben Hinnom valley and to the Mount of Evil Council, 
on the south side of this valley. Here the ruins of the house or 
villa of Caiaphas are still shown. From here I went to Acel- 
dama. There I remained a long time, looking into the old 
tombs. The ridge is quite bare and but little soil is to be 
seen on the stones or cliffs. A great quantity of thorns and 
thistles grow here. Because of sin the earth is bringing forth 
thorns and thistles, and is subject to condemnation. As I was 
walking along here the words of Saint Paul resounded in my 
soul, "The wages of sin is death". Think of the opportunities 
given this man, Judas! He misused them and they were lost. 
Then when he saw the fulness of his iniquity, it proved to be 
more than he could bear. Those who had led him astray did 
not wish to help him in any way. He confessed the innocence 
of His Master, when he said, "I have sinned in that I have 
betrayed the innocent blood." And they said, "What is that to 
us, see thou to that." (Matt. 27: 4.) Such are the worldly 
minded, and such they have been all the time. The only con- 
solation that Judas knew was the rope. He went away and 
hanged himself. A fearful end ! To me it seemed that every 



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grave, every thorn-bush, and every thistle was telling the story 
of misused grace. Here I thought of our young people and of 
the great dangers that surround them. God grant that they 
may be kept by His mighty hand in His fear and love ! 

Now I continued my walk down to the place, where the 
Ben Hinnom unites with the Jehoshaphat. Here is the place 
where the children of Israel during the reign of the Idolatrous 
kings, Ahab, Manasse, and Amon, were sacrificing their chil- 
dren to Moloch or Baal-Moloch (II Chr. 28 : 3 : 33 : 6 ; II Chr. 23 : 
10) . From here I went up the Cedron valley to the place where 
I had been the day before. Here the English are excavating in 
the neighbourhood of the Virgin fountain, and on the east slope 
of Ophel. They are excavating under the supervision of Turk- 
ish policemen, and those who were carrying on the excavation, 
had made agreement with the sultan that should anything be 
found, they would send such findings to the museum at Con- 
stantinople. They were carrying on their work in all secrecy 
and were searching for the crown of Solomon and his treasures 
with the covenant ark. May they be successful in their 
endeavors ! 

A little distance beyond the pillar of Absalom I went to 
the right and came upon the road leading to Bethany. Follow- 
ing this road for quite a distance, I turned to the left and went 
to Bethphage, following the way that the Master went along, 
when He rode into the city on that memorable Palm Sunday. 
Among the ruins of Bethphage the Catholics have erected a 
church. Into this village the Lord sent his disciples to secure 
an ass, and a foal of an ass, so as to be able to ride into the city. 
The village is located on a ridge, which is united with two 
others. On the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives there is 
a road ; and as I was walking along, I thought of Him who so 
long ago came to this very mountain side and went into the 



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city. Passing by the Russian church, we have a good view of 
the Holy City. From this place the Lord looked down upon 
Jerusalem, and wept as He saw it. The people were rejoicing 
and singing hosannahs, but He knew that only a few days 
hence, they would change them into "crucify him," "crucify 
him!" Such is the world ! Pity him who must depend on the 
whims and caprices of men! Among them a popular hero to- 
day, tomorrow an outcast and a fool ! Best to confide in a 
friend, who is the same all the time and constantly faithful. 
Now we go down the western slope of the ridge to the Stephen 
gate, enter it and follow via Dolorosa; turning to the right I 
came to the Damascus gate and to the colony. 

September 22 we went to see the Haran esh-Sherif, the 
temple Place or the Mount Moriah. Into this sacred enclosure 
no Christian can go without proper escort. At the American 
Consulate I met my dragoman and some other men and women 
and among them a missionary from Haifa. The rest of them 
were also missionaries. Along with us came the cavass of the 
American Consul and a policeman together with my dragoman. 
With this escort we went through the city and came into the 
temple area on the west side. To be sure we felt a little 
peculiar in entering on such historic ground. During the 
time of Solomon this mountain was about 900 feet long and 600 
feet wide. There are several buildings within this enclosure, 
but the most important of them is, no doubt, Kubbet es Sakhra 
or the Cliff-dome. There is no reason to call it the Mosque of 
Omar. This mosque is located a little to the southwest on a 
terrace, which is almost square ; and at the north and west 
sides of the terrace there are buildings with cupolas. Here is 
the mosque, one of the most renowned in the world. The main 
entrance is on the south side, but we entered the one on the 
east side. Of course we must put on sandals before we went 



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in. There is no need of saying that this is a most beautiful 
building, and most excellently decorated inside. Here you will 
find the choicest marble and the best mosaic on the walls and 
in the roof. In the middle of the floor is the stone that served 
as foundation for the altar in the Solomonic temple. The stone 
is about 51 feet long and 39 feet wide. This stone is not men- 
tioned in the Bible. In the legends of Jews and Mohammedans 
it plays an important role. Here Abraham sacrificed his son 
Isaac, so the Jews say (Gen. 22: 1-19), and this is the stone 
that Jacob anointed. (Gen. 28: 18.) The Mohammedans tell 
us that it rests on nothing. It covers the opening of the well 
of the souls, and in this well the departed gather twice a week 
for prayer. "When Mohammed went to heaven on his flying 
steed Burak, the stone wished to follow him, but Gabriel kept it 
back and you can see the mark of the angel's hand in the stone. 
Above the stone rises the beautiful cupola and around the stone 
is a kind of palisade. No "heathen" can touch it, but while 
our guide was busy showing the rest of the members around in 
the mosque, I transgressed this rule. Below the stone is a 
room, hewn out of the rock. We went down, of course. Here 
is a little chapel and I could barely stand straight in this little 
room. On the floor is a marble plate. When you walk on it, 
it sounds as if you would hit an empty barrel. Below this is 
the "well of the souls." No one can remove this marble plate. 
In the middle of the roof there is a hole and it is likely that 
this served as a draining pipe for the blood from the animals 
that were sacrificed here. Here in this chapel, call it grotto, 
if you so desire, is shown the places where Abraham, Solomon, 
Eliah, and Jesus have offered prayer. In the mosque, on the 
north side of the above mentioned palisade is a stone, which 
our guide was very anxious that I should see. Mohammed 
had put in 19 nails in this piece of stone. During a certain 

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period of time a nail falls away, and when all have gone, then 
time is no more. Satan succeeded in picking away all the nails 
with the exception of three, but then Gabriel came as a helper 
and brought them back. Our Mohammedan guide sat down 
by this piece of stone and asked that we touch it and in this 
way we would make sure of our salvation. Of course he would 
allow us to do that, if we gave him bakschish. A certain lady 
in our company then said, "My case is clear already." The 
rest of us could give the same testimony. The Mohammedans 
are very clever in securing bakschisch from the pilgrims. Now 
a few more words about this wonderful stone. There is no 
doubt but that this stone served as a foundation under the altar 
for the burnt offering in the Solomonic and Herodian temples. 
The sizes corresponds with the data given in Mischna. 

Now we must look at the mosque. Around the cupola 
within is a long inscription in Arabic, which is directed against 
the Christian doctrine of trinity. Here it is, "God has no one 
by His side, Mohammed is His messenger. Jesus Christ, the 
Son of Mary, is God's messenger. Believe in God and His 
Messenger, but do not say that there are three Gods. Be it far 
from Him that He should have a Son. Praised be God, who 
adopts no one as His Son, and who can not have any partakers 
in His kingdom, or no one by His side, in an humble, created 
being." 

The question is, when was this building erected? Some 
think that this structure is the one that Julian built here. The 
style is not Mohammedan but Christian. Others, again, think 
that this edifice was put up after the reign of Diocletian. As 
we know he abdicated in 305, consequently before the time of 
Justinian (527-566), it is likely that this building is from the 
fourth century. The crusaders changed the building to a 
Christian church, and Christian services were celebrated here 



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for 88 years (1099-1187). At that time it was called the Lord's 
house (Templum Domini). 

Surely this is a very interesting place. What wonderful 
historic events have not taken place here ! Here was the old 
temple place and here was the Solomonic temple, which was 
destroyed in 588 B. C. Here Zerubbabel's temple was erected 
and the prophet spoke of this temple, when he said, ' 'And the 
glory of this latter house shall be greater than that of the 
former, saith the Lord of hosts and in this place will I give 
peace, saith the Lord of hosts" (Hag. 2:9). We may say, that 
the Herodian temple was a development of Zerubbabel's sanctu- 
ary and in the Herodian temple the great Teacher went about 
preaching, and hence its greatness. Furthermore, one of the 
disciples of Christ said to Him, as he admired the wonderful 
structure, "Master, see what manner of stones and what build- 
ings are here !" 

The temple area was almost a square. Solomon's Portico 
ran along the east side of the open space, and the Herodian on 
the south side. The pillars along the sides were of Corinthian 
marble with a roof over them. In this Portico the Lord went 
about teaching on various occasions, and while doing so, the 
Jews attacked him. (Jno. 10: 32-39.) When Peter and John 
went up to the temple at the ninth hour to pray, they found a 
man, who had been lame from his mother's womb. This man 
was placed at the gate of the temple called "Beautiful" to ask 
alms of them that entered into the temple. (Acts 3:2.) The 
Apostles healed this man to the great dismay of the chief 
Priests and Pharisees. Into the Solomonic Porch the people, 
witnessing the miracle, ran together greatly wondering, and 
then Peter made a speech to them. (Acts 3 : 11-26. The gate 
which was located opposite the eastern part of the temple 
proper was called Shushan. The pinnacle of the temple at the 



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southeast corner was 326 feet above the bottom of the Cedron 
valley. On this pinnacle of the temple the tempter brought 
the Lord and said to Him, "If thou be the Son of God, cast thy- 
self down; for it is written: He shall give his angels charge 
concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, 
lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. " (Matth. 
4: 5-6.) The gate on the south side was called Huldah. The 
western part of this Porch of Herod was united to the Sion with 
a bridge. This Porch was a refuge for literary men in the Jew- 
ish world. Christ used to come hither to teach, and here lively 
discussions arose between Him and the Pharisees. The western 
Porch, running along the Tyropoean valley, had three gates, 
Shalleketh, Parbar, and the north and south Asuppim. The 
gate on the north side was called Tedi. The open space be- 
tween these Porches was called the Court of the Gentiles. Into 
this Court the Jews brought animals for sacrifices and in this 
place the money exchangers were carrying on their business. 
Those, who wished to pay the tribute to the temple, could here 
exchange their money. The Lord went into this place and 
found those that sold oxen, sheep, and doves, and the changers 
of money sitting there. And when He had made a scourge of 
small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, together with 
the sheep and the oxen; and poured out the changers money, 
and overthrew the tables ; and said unto them that sold doves, 
"take these things hence; make not my father's house a house 
of merchandise." The Saviour went in to clean His temple 
twice during His ministry, once at the beginning, and once at 
the end. 

When we thing of the present-day church kitchens and how 
the house of the Lord is changed into a house of merchandise 
so as to secure money to carry on the church work, there can- 
not be any question as to what He would do, if He would come 

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bodily into our churches and see the lively business they are 
carrying on. The present time has proved to be very ingenious 
as to the methods in bringing in money for the church of Christ. 
All these methods that a worldly and negligent church are 
making use of is deplorable, and the greatest institution in the 
world ought not to seek subsistence in such a way. We shall 
not endeavor to enumerate all these methods, made use of in 
many churches at the. present day, but suffice it to say, that if 
the church be the greatest institution in the world, it is worth 
while to sacrifice for it directly without any dubious methods. 
If we can not give more than five cents to the church of God, 
we ought to give it in such a way as not call down the wrath 
of God upon us. Many of the present-day methods are un- 
worthy of the church of Christ and ought to be discontinued. 
These thoughts came to my mind as I was wandering around 
here on the temple place or the Court of the Gentiles. 

The temple proper was located in the northwestern part 
of the Court of the Gentiles. It was eight feet higher than 
this and was 630 feet long and 300 feet wide. The Jews called 
this rectangular place Chel. Around this there was a palisade 
four and a half feet high and on this they have written in 
several languages warnings to the Gentiles not to go further. 
In case they did so, capital punishment followed. A part of 
this wall or palisade was discovered by the Frenchman, Cler- 
mont Ganneau in 1871. At the east end of this Chel was the 
Court of the Women. This was three feet higher than the sur- 
roundings. This Court had the form of a square with a gate 
on each side. The one on the east side was, no doubt, the Beau- 
tiful gate. The gate to the west, leading into the Court of 
Israel, was called Nicanor. The women were not permitted to 
go beyond this gate. In each corner of this Court was a room, 
open overhead, and the one on the south east corner was used 



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for the ceremonies of the Nazarite vow. Here Paul was taken 
captive by the Jews (Acts 21: 26). Around the walls thirteen 
treasure chests were placed, where the women could place their 
gifts to the temple. Hence they called this part of the temple 
"Treasury". (Mark 12: 41-52; John 8: 20.) From the Tower 
of Antonia there was a subterranean passage to this Court of 
the "Women and the opening was by the Beautiful gate. 
Through this passage the soldiers came to rescue Paul from the 
Jewish mob. (Acts 21: 31-32.) Christ used to go into this 
Court and teach (John 8: 20), and here He beheld how the 
people cast money into the Treasury. (Mark 12: 41). Here He 
noticed how the poor widow gave her mite and declared that 
this poor widow had cast in more than all the others. She 
gave only one-fourth of a cent, but she gave so that she felt it 
and therefore she gave so much. The Lord looks upon the 
heart. 

The Court of the Israelites was ten feet higher than the 
Court of the Women. Within this, and three feet higher, lay 
the Court of the Priests. Into this Court the men could not go, 
but they were permitted to witness the sacrifices over a pali- 
sade or fence, which was erected around this part of the temple. 
Within this Court was the altar for the burnt offerings. This 
was fifteen feet high and its upper part a square thirty-six feet 
on every side. Then we come to the real temple, sixty feet 
long and thirty feet wide. Within this were the altar of in- 
cense, the candlestick, where seven lamps were burning, and a 
table on which twelve loaves of bread were kept. In this room 
Zacharias received the promise of the birth of a son, John the 
Baptist (Luke 1). The Holy of Holies was a cube, whose sides 
were thirty feet. This was separated from the Holy place by 
a veil eight inches thick. The Roman conqueror, Pompey, 

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entered this place and thought he would find a treasure or some 
object of worship, but found nothing therein. 

Let us now go to the southern part of the temple area. 
There you find the mosque El-Aksa. This is very beautiful and 
was originally erected during the time of Justinian for a 
church. It was called the Church of Mary and when the 
Mohammedans captured the city of Jerusalem, it was rebuilt 
into a mosque by the Caliph Abd el-Melech (688-692). We 
went into the mosque, and looked around. In the mosque, to 
the left, stand two pillars. The Mohammedans declare that 
those who cannot go between these pillars, have no prospect of 
entering heaven. Quite near this mosque there is an entrance 
into the so-called Solomonic Stables. Here is a gate which has 
been identified with the Huldah-gate. This is now closed up, 
but it can been seen distinctly. Without doubt our Saviour 
passed through this gate many times. Having looked carefully 
at the gate, we passed on and saw the subterranean vaults or 
arches, which, by the way, may have been "substructures to the 
Herodian temple." The further north you go, the shorter the 
pillars become. We saw holes in the pillars and my dragoman 
told me that the horses of Solomon were tied to these pillars. 
The Jew who was with us, insisted that the sacrificial animals 
were tied up here. Who was right? I cannot tell. 

Having come up from these subterranean vaults, we walked 
along the eastern wall. At a certain place there is a staircase, 
where you can come upon the wall. I walked up the stair and 
stood a while on the wall ; and a most excellent view presented 
itself before me down in the valley of Jehosaphat, and over 
the western slope of the Mount of Olives. We continued along 
the eastern wall until we came to the Golden-gate. The outside 
of this gate, facing the Mount of Olives, shows that this was 
a double gate. Now it is closed up and well guarded. How 

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wonderful ! This gate looks pretty much like a tower and on 
the inside it is rather magnificent. Staircases led down to the 
gate and the vault looked like a cellar. About fifty steps to 
the north of the gate is a little mosque called the Throne of 
Solomon. The legend says that King Solomon died here. 

From here we walk towards the west and find in the north- 
western part of the Haram esh-Sherif barracks for Turkish 
soldiers. In the castle near by is the palace of the Turkish 
Pascha. Here was the ancient Antonia. There was a time, 
not so very far distant, when none other than Mohammedans 
could enter this sacred Enclosure. Any one else entering within 
this must then forfeit his life. Now, we could walk about 
where we pleased. Our policeman and cavass were walking 
about at a distance, keeping their eyes on us that no one should 
do us any harm. We met no one who was inclined to harm us, 
and we could walk along and meditate in peace. The condi- 
tion in the time of Paul was quite different. Here on the 
temple area there arose a fearful tumult, because the Jews 
believed that Paul had taken with him into the temple the man 
from Ephesus, Trophimus. (Acts 21; 28-37.) If the Roman 
soldiers had not come to his assistance, he would have been 
torn in pieces by the angry mob. He was taken by the Roman 
soldiers, tied with two chains and the chief captain demanded 
who he was and what he had done. Paul was now permitted 
to deliver a speech to the multitude, and he spoke in the 
Hebrew language. (Acts 22.) From the temple area a stair 
extended to the fort Antonia and upon this stair Paul was 
standing as he spoke to them. He finished his speech by de- 
claring that God had sent him to the Gentiles. Then they lifted 
up their voices and said, "Away with such a fellow from the 
earth, for it is not fit that he should live." (Acts 22: 21-22.) 
What a boundless bitterness ! They knew nothing of the doc- 



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trine of love and tolerance, and yet they called themselves the 
sons of the chosen race. 

Having looked over the Haram esh-Sherif very carefully, 
we went out west from the Cliff Dome and came through 
the gate into the Tyropoean valley, on the west side 
of the old temple wall. Here is the wailing place of the Jews. 
This is located a little to the southwest from the mosque. To 
this wailing place the Jews come from all the parts of the 
world to pray and weep. Here in the valley we found one of 
the dirtiest places in Jerusalem. Here are Mohammedans 
from north Africa, who are known by their fanaticism. Here 
we find an old stone wall, dating from the time of Herod, but 
the lower part of this is, no doubt, from the time of Solomon. 
On some of the stones we find inscriptions in Hebrew. 

Every Friday the Jews come to this wailing place to lament 
the condition of their city and people and pray for the advent 
of their Messiah. It was Wednesday when I was there and 
there stood a number of young and old Jews with their Hebrew 
bibles in their hands. Some read aloud and others in a low 
tone. Some seemed to be earnest in their religious exercises; 
others were there for fun, as it seemed to me. As we came to 
the place, we feared that we might disturb them, but there was 
no danger about that. They seemed to be very anxious that we 
should come as near to them as possible. There was a murmur 
and noise, mumbling and lamenting; and who dare say, that 
some of them do not mean anything by these exercises ? I paid 
attention to a young man who was reading very faithfully in 
the Bible and as he did so, looked occasionally towards us, as 
though he wished to say, "Don't you think that we are pious 
fellows? Can it be that God will not listen to our prayers?" 
It was rather painful to stand there and look at those poor 
people. While I was standing there, these words came to me, 



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'"He came unto His own and. His own received Him not." (John 
t : 11.) I also thought of the words of Paul to his people, when 
he was in the imperial prison at Rome, "For the heart of this 
people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and 
their eyes have "been closed: lest they should see with their 
eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, 
and should be converted and I should heal them." (Acts 28: 
27.) Here we rind a public demonstration of what it means 
to harden the heart against the grace of God. "For unto 
everyone that hath shall be given, and he shall have abund- 
ance : but from him that hath not shall be taken away that 
which he hath. ' ' (Matth. 25 : 29.) This is a law in the kingdom 
of nature. He who does not use properly the gifts bestowed 
upon him, shall lose them. 

A little to the south of the Wailing Place of the Jews they 
have discovered the gate of the old Prophet. This gate is also 
called the Barclays gate, because he discovered it. The arch 
of the gate is located deep down under the ground. This is the 
old gate that led to Mount Zion from the Hill of Moriah. The 
discovery of this gate has helped materially to determine the 
bounderies of the temple area. A little to the north of the 
above named arch is the Robinson arch. This indicates where 
the old bridge passed over the Tyropoean valley. Now, having 
seen all this in the forenoon Ave went to the American Consulate 
and our little band was dispersed never to meet again in the 
land of the living. 

Perhaps we might relate a few things regarding the ap- 
pearance of the city of Jerusalem as we found it inside of the 
walls. The city is divided into four parts or quarters. In the 
southwestern quarter we find the Armenians, in the northwest- 
ern the Latins and the Greeks, in the northeastern the Moham- 
medans, and in the southeastern the Jews. A number of Jews 



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are living in the New Town, to the northwest of the Jaffa gate. 
The streets are narrow, dark and dirty. They are dark, be- 
cause of the many vaults that are built over them, and dirty, 
because there are no other beings to keep them clean than the 
dogs. These are found on the streets all over in some hollow 
or corner. They do not care how the people in the city pass 
over them. In the day time they are asleep. But wait till the 
night comes. Then you will hear an endless howling here and 
there, as they hunt for their food and fight each other when 
they happen to find some. Here we are reminded of the words 
of the Psalmist, "And at evening let them (the heathens) re- 
turn ; and let them make a noise like a dog, and go round about 
the city. Let them wander up and down for meat and grudge, 
if they be not satisfied." (Ps. 59: 14-15.) But no one is per- 
mitted to touch them. When the American colony was estab- 
lished in Jerusalem, they saw dogs jump around on three legs ; 
the fourth was broken off. But they were not permitted to kill 
the poor animals without special permission of the city officials. 

The houses are quite low and uninviting. Along the 
streets the merchants have their goods for sale and you find it 
difficult to move. The food stuff, scattered on the sidewalks, 
looks anything but appetizing, but you must remember that 
you are in the Orient. The tailors sit along the streets sewing. 
Where there are no stores the streets look like a labyrinth be- 
tween rows of houses. Only from the housetops you get an 
idea what the city looks like. There are no parks in the city 
of Jerusalem. Inside the walls of the city you will hardly get 
any fresh air, and there is a constant stench. The people bear 
the stamp of poverty and distress. 

But Jerusalem is a city of memories. Hither thousands of 
pilgrims come annually, and many have come to live and die 
here, in order that they might be buried in the sacred soil. Not 



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only Jews, but people of other religions have come hither to see 
the fulfillment of the promises of God. The Holy City has a 
number of churches and institutions of mercy. Within the 
walls, and in the New City, there are many churches and hos- 
pitals, and there is no city in the world with the same number 
of citizens that can show forth such a percent of churches and 
hospitals as Jerusalem. The hospital work is carried on very 
successfully and many sufferers find a safe refuge with proper 
care within their walls. What a difference between the Chris- 
tian and the Mohammedan world in this respect ! The Chris- 
tian physicians are doing a splendid work among the poor and 
sick in Jerusalem. It is a work that speaks to the heart of the 
heathens. 

In the afternoon we prepared our journey to Samaria and 
Galilee. I bought some medicine and colored spectacles, be- 
cause the sunshine in Syria is very bright and it pained my 
eyes. With these preparations I was ready for the excursion 
northward. 



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Chapter XIV 



JOURNEYS IN SAMARIA 

I HAD seen a part of Northern Palestine, and what I had seen 
was enough to take me there again. Perhaps it is proper 
to mention how such excursions are made. According to my 
contract with Mr. Aboosh I was to have three horses, one for 
my dragoman, one for my boy, who brought the baggage, and 
one for myself. My dragoman had given me a hint that I 
ought to leave my watch at the colony, because the Beduins 
might find occasion to attack us, if they saw me carry a watch. 
But I did not feel like leaving my time keeper at my temporary 
home, so I took it along. He told me furthermore to take as 
little money with me as possible and to put it in small change, 
so that I might give bakschisch. According to the contract he 
was to see to that, and I let him do so, except in certain cases, 
when I gave bakschisch myself. 

September 22, at 2 o'clock P. M. we were ready for the 
journey. My dragoman, who had contracted for three horses, 
could not get them in time, and asked me to ride in a hack to 
Shechem, where he would meet French Pilgrims, and then we 
would get their horses. To this I consented, but with the un- 
derstanding that I would have a chance to see all the historic 
places along the road. There was some delay, before our 
coachman arrived with the carriage. He came at last and the 
owner of the vehicle was with him. In the carriage sat then a 
pastor, W. R. Miller, from Chicago, 111. While we were wait- 
ing for the dragoman, I told the owner of the team, that this 



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would be a most pleasant trip for me, as I was to pass through 
a -country with so many historical memories. Then the Arab 
retorted, "This carriage does not stop before it makes Shechem. 
It goes right through. ' ' At last Mr. Aboosh came and then the 
Arab said that he did not wish to have so many in the carriage, 
and besides the carriage must not stop on the road to Shechem. 
Mr*. Aboosh answered that he had paid for the team for this 
trip, that he considered himself to have the right to go slow or 
fast as he pleased, and that he could take one or more persons 
in the carriage, if he so desired. Then the Arab became very 
angry and the fire of wrath was shining out of his eyes. There 
was a hot quarrel. Rev. Miller and I sat and looked at them. 
Mr. Aboosh was so cool that I became surprised at him. I then 
found out that this was not the first time he had had to do with 
hot tempered Arabs. He sat still in the carriage, although the 
Arab threatened to drive him and us out of the same. After a 
while he cooled off and we went on. 

We passed over the valley of Cedron, which is located a 
little below the colony, and up along the slope of Mount Scopus, 
where the army of Titus was encamped. From this place you 
have the most excellent view of the city and the surroundings. 
Here you observe better than anywhere else, that the location 
of the city leans a little towards the east. To the north we see 
the high Nebi Samwil, or Mizpa, on whose pinnacle a mosque 
extends its minaret heavenward, and toward the northeast we 
observe Biblical places all over. Leaving Scopus, we have to 
the left of the road a little village by the name of Schafat, 
which is located about two miles to the north of Jerusalem. 
We are now within the territory of the tribe of Dan. Here the 
Ark of the Covenant was located for a long time. During the 
time of Samuel it was brought from Beth-Shemesh to Kirjath 
Jearim, which is located to the west of Jerusalem. (I Sam. 7 : 



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1.) From this place the Ark was brought to Jerusalem by 
King David. During the time of Saul the Ark of the Taber- 
nacle were for some reason brought to Nob. Here lived the 
priest Ahimelech (I Sam. 21: 90), and here the shewbread was 
to be found (I Sam. 21: 6) ; and here too the sword of Goliath 
was kept. The priest said to David, "The sword of Goliath, 
the Philistine, is here, whom thou slewest in the valley of 
Elah, behold it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod : if 
thou wilt take that, take it : for there is no other save that here. 
And David said, There is non like that; give it me." (I Sam. 
21: 9). Surely we may say the same of the two-edged sword, 
the word of the living God. The priest delivered to David the 
hallowed bread and the sword of Goliath. The king found out 
what the priest Ahimelech had done, because the Edomean 
Doeg, the chief shepherd of Saul, had seen it and had brought 
this information to Saul, who at that time lived at Gibea, a lit- 
tle to the southeast from here. Saul, killed 85 priests, only 
one escaping with his life. The city was razed to the ground, 
and all who dwelt therein together with the sheep, oxen and 
asses were killed. This was a cruel deed. 

The Ark was then moved to Kirjath-Jearim and Nob be- 
came desolate so that no one dwelt there. Its priests were no 
more. The next time we hear of Nob is in connection with the 
warfare of Sennacherib against Judah. The prophet Isaiah 
says among other things about the conquerer, "As yet shall he 
remain at Nob that day: he shall shake his hand against the 
mount of the daughter of Sion, the hill of Jerusalem." (Is. 10: 
32.) From the words of Isaiah we draw the conclusion that 
Nob must have been somewhere between Anathoth and Jerusa- 
lem. The last time Nob is mentioned in the Scriptures is in 
Nehemiah 11 :32, where we find that the children of Israel lived 
after the return from the Babylonian captivity in Anathoth, 



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Nob, and Anaryah. There are some who think that they have 
found Nob in the present El-'Isawyeh, between Anathoth and 
Jerusalem, but this village is located in a valley, and there is 
reason to believe that Nob was seen from Jerusalem, according 
to the words of the prophet, "He shall shake his hand against 
the daughter of Sion, the hill of Jerusalem." Jerusalem can 
be seen from Schafat. When we came opposite it on the road, 
we left the carriage and walked to the village. There are 
ruins of an old church there, but we know nothing of its his- 
tory. Schafat is a very dirty Arab village at present. We 
saw some women weaving in the village. They had stretched 
their yarn along the streets, and at the ends of these threads 
the women were busy plying their shuttles in the hot sun. 
They asked us to give them bakschisch, of course. The village 
is very small, containing only about 100 inhabitants. 

From here we walked back to the road, continued a little 
to the north, and then came to a hill around which there were 
heaps of ruins. This height is located to the east of the road 
and is called Tuleil el-Ful. According to some geographers 
this is the Gibea in Benjamin. It took about fifteen minutes to 
come from Nob to Gibea. Gibea signifies "height" or "hill." 
This place is doubtless the Gibea of Saul. The first time we 
meet with this city is under very sad circumstances. A Levite 
took unto himself a concubine out of Beth-Lehem in Judah. 
She proved to be unfaithful to him and returned to her father. 
After some time he went to bring her back, and his father-in- 
law received him very kindly. On the fourth day they re- 
turned homeward through Jebus, i. e. Jerusalem. The man 
did not wish to lodge over night at this place, although it was 
late in the evening, because there were no Israelites there at 
that time. For this reason they continued to Gibea. Here he 
met with a wayfaring man from the mountains of Ephraim, 



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who lived as a stranger in this place. With him he found 
lodgment over night. When they had eaten supper, there 
came wicked men and surrounded the city with the same pur- 
pose as the men of Sodom in the days of Lot. At last he sent 
his concubine out, and they fared so badly with her that she 
was found dead in the morning. Having arrived home, he cut 
his wife in twelve pieces and sent these pieces throughout the 
land of Israel. Then the whole people of Israel from Dan to 
Beer-Sheba gathered together and now there was a war of 
extirpation against the tribe of Benjamin. The city was burnt 
and even the cattle were killed. (Jud. 19-29.) 

But the city was rebuilt and the first king in Israel dwelt 
there. This was the capitol city at that time. Now, is this the 
right place? How can we be certain about it? The name ot 
Saul has not been connected with any town of modern Pales- 
tine, but we find it in the time of Josephus. He describes the 
march of Titus from Caesarea to Jerusalem by way of Samaria 
and Gophna, thence a day's march to a valley called by the 
Jews the "Valley of Thorns," near a certain village called 
Gabath Saoule, distant from Jerusalem about thirty stadia, i. e. 
the distance from Jerusalem to Tuleil el-Ful. The agreement 
with the geography is complete and there is no doubt that this 
is the place. (Jos. Wars 5:2:1.) Yonder is a tower on the top. 
My dragoman went with me to the height, whence we have a 
splendid view of the vicinity. To the south we see the Holy 
City and Mount Scopus in the foreground. From this place it 
does not look very high. To the southeast is Ananta or Ana- 
thoth, a priest city in Benjamin, about three miles distant on a 
ridge. There was the home of the prophet Jeremiah, the son 
of the priest, Hilkiah. 

A little further to the north of Ananta we see Geba, also a 
priest city in the tribe of Benjamin. Here Jonathan carried 

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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



on his warlike expedition against the Philistines. (I Sam. 14: 
6-15.) The present name of Geba is Jeba. 

To the northeast from Gibeah we notice the old city Oph- 
rah. The town is located abont five miles to the east of Bethel 
on a conical hill. This place is mentioned in connection with 
the war of Saul against the Philistines. (I Sam. 13 : 16-18.) 
Josephns relates that Vespasian during his expedition captured 
Bethel and Ophrah. (Jos, Wars 4: 9: 19.) When Jesus had 
resurrected Lazarus from the dead, the Jews resolved to kill 
him. Then He walked no more openly among the Jews; but 
went thence unto a country near to the wilderness, into a city 
called Ephraim, and there continued with His disciples. (John 
11: 53-54). This is no doubt the same Ophrah. It was in that 
section of the country that the Saviour was walking about 
teaching the doctrine of His kingdom. A little to the south- 
east from Ophrah we see Rimmon. This is the rock Rimmon to 
which six hundred men of Benjamin fled after the massacre of 
Gibeah. (Jud. 20: 45-47.) To the south of this rock, and on 
more level ground, is Ai. Even this place we could see very 
distinctly. This was the second city that the children of Israel 
captured after they had crossed the Jordan, and this was en- 
tirely destroyed. (Jos. 7 : 3-4; 8 : 1-29.) From this place, where 
we are now standing, we can see Bethel to the northeast. Yon- 
der to the north we see a number of Biblical places on the hills 
and mountains. As for my part, I was rather surprised at the 
short distances between the various places. I had the idea 
that they were farther apart. The hills are without trees ; but 
this must have been a very picturesque part of the country in 
the days when the hills were covered with trees. 

Our next objective is Er-Ram, the old Ramah, which is lo- 
cated on a height a little distance to the north of Gibeah, and 
only fifteen minutes walk to the east of the main road. At 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



three o'clock we are opposite Ramah. This time I did not go 
up to the village on the hill. Another time I had a chance to 
see the place at a nearer range. On the west side of the road is 
Chan el-Charaib, a kind of an inn. A little further north is a 
high hill. Mr. Aboosh told me that this is the place where 
Deborah was judging Israel during the time of the Judges. 
We know from the Scriptures that she dwelt under the palm 
tree between Ramah and Bethel in mount Ephraim, and the 
children of Israel came up to her for judgment. (Jud. 4:5). 
Perhaps she sat on that hill in the olden times and established 
peace among the children of the chosen race. It depends 
upon which Ramah is the correct one. 

In a little while we come to a small village called Khirbet 
el-Atara. There are two ponds and tombs in this vicinity. 
Here was the old Ataroth-Addar. (Jos. 16: 5). Here was the 
boundary line between Ephraim and Benjamin. From this 
place we push on to Ram-Allah, the goal for the day. We saw 
the village on the hill to the northwest, but followed the road to 
El-Bireh. Here is a poor district, but plenty of water. Here 
was the old Beeroth, which has the same meaning, " cistern." 
This was located in Benjamin. (Jos. 9 : 17.) This city was one 
of the four which deceived Joshua and with which he con- 
cluded peace. The murderers of Ishboseth lived in this town. 
(II Sam. 4:2). There are piles of ruins here. Some of them 
date from the time of the crusaders. Tradition holds that this 
is the place where Joseph and Mary discovered the absence of 
their child, Jesus. We are now about ten miles from Jeru- 
salem. 

When we came to the village El-Bireh we put the horses 
in the barn ; and walking about two miles to the northeast from 
here, we came to Betin, the old Bethel. The road was very 
stony, and it was quite hard to get through, but at five o 'clock 

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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



we were there. Here is Bethel, a very poor Arab village of 
about fifty inhabitants. The houses are miserable and dingy 
looking. Having rested for some time and taken some 
photographs, we returned to El-Bireh. 

Bethel is an old place. Its early name was Lus, and is 
spoken of in the time of Abraham. When he came from 
Mesopotamia, he went forth into the land of Canaan to 
Shechem, and "removed from thence unto a mountain on the 
east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west 
and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the 
Lord, and called upon the name of the Lord." (Gen. 12: 8.) 
Here the strife arose between the two men, Abraham and Lot. 
Here in Bethel the wayfaring Jacob laid himself down upon a 
stone, as he was on his way from his angry brother, Esau. 
Here he dreamt about the ladder, reaching up to heaven. 
(Gen. 28 : 10-22). A lonely youth had gone over the threshhold 
of his home and out into the wide world. He left his parents 
and kindred in his home and departed, but he took God with 
him on his journey, and it went well with him. As I thought of 
the young man, sleeping here on this lonely hill, without hearth 
and home, I reminded myself of those who have been in the 
same condition, and gone out to make their own way in the 
world. It is not easy to leave home and go out in the world, 
but if the God of Jacob goes with our young men and women, 
they will be protected. 

Here the Ark of the Covenant was stationed during the 
days of the Judges, when Phineas was chief priest ( Jud. 20 : 18- 
28), and in the time of Samuel the children of Israel came 
hither to sacrifice. The first king in the kingdom of Israel, 
Jeroboam, erected images of calves here and thus Bethel be- 
came the center of worship for the ten tribes, just as Jerusalem 
became the center for the two tribes or the southern kingdom. 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



He did not wish that his people should go up to Jerusalem to 
worship, and hence Bethel became a center for the ten tribes 
and Dan was the other. This place is often spoken of in the 
Holy Scriptures. After the captivity the Benjaminites occu- 
pied Bethel. It is not mentioned in the New Testament. Here 
are a great many ruins, and a tower from which one can see 
the Mount of Olives, and a part of Jerusalem. 

Over the naked hills we walked back to El-Bireh, and were 
met by some ragged and dirty fellaheen. From here we 
walked to Ram-Allah, about a mile to the west from El-Bireh. 
Here are schools and a cloister, which belongs to the Latins. 
The Protestants have schools here also, and the people spoke 
well of the American institution. I met some of the pupils and 
they were pleased that they had an opportunity to go to school. 
Here is a flour mill, and the motive power is gasolene. We saw 
quite a few empty gasolene cans around the place. The fella- 
heen use them for carrying water and they are certainly better 
than the leather bags, and stone jars. Here is a new hotel with 
excellent rooms in the upper story. In the evening we had an 
opportunity to observe the picturesque surroundings. Among 
other places we saw to the southwest Emmaus, Mizpa, and 
Gib eon. 

September 23 our dragoman woke us early in the morning, 
and we started on our journey northward. We passed through 
El-Bireh. When we left in the morning the Arab, who owned 
our team, was there to make up for his rude behaviour the 
previous day. All was now well and we went on. In a little 
while we noticed Tibne to the northwest on a hill. Here was 
the old Timnath-Serah, a city which Joshua received as a pos- 
session and in which he died. (Jos. 24 : 20.) A little distance to 
the north of Beeroth we followed the road leading to the left. 
After awhile we see in front of us a valley. This is the Wady 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



Jifna. Near by the road is the ancient city of Gophnah. We 
are now among the romantic mountains of Ephraim. The 
mountains are mostly barren, but here and there some dwarf- 
like trees are found. There are some vineyards along the val- 
leys with watchtowers in them. These watchtowers reminded 
me of the words of the prophet: "And the daughter of Zion is 
left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucum- 
bers, as a beseiged city." (Is. 1:8). 

At 8 :15 we reached the road along which our Saviour, no 
doubt, has traveled many times. This was the main road in the 
Roman times, leading through Samaria. What a sight to see 
Him walk here along these valleys with His chosen twelve ! 
But we shall by His grace see Him in the life to come. When 
we arrived at Findjil, a little village on the left hand side of 
the road, we stepped out of the carriage and commenced our 
walk to Seilun or Shiloh. Our coachman drove the carriage 
over the hills to Khan el-Lubban, where we were to meet him. 
We walked along the road in a northeasterly direction, passing 
by a village by the name Talmud, which is mentioned par- 
ticularly during the Crusades. Here we saw some ruins of old 
buildings. In thirty-five minutes we were at Seilun. We came 
on a height, which is surrounded by ravines, beyond which 
other hills are seen. 

Here the tabernacle stood for 370 years and hither the chil- 
dren of Israel came from Gilgal. Here they cast lots to ascer- 
tain how the land should be divided. On the plains of Jericho 
they had also y cast lots. (Jos. 18: 1-10). From this place 
Joshua sent three men to investigate the country and they re- 
turned to Shiloh. The lots were cast at the entrance of the 
tabernacle, and then they divided the land between the seven 
and a half tribes on the west side of Jordan. (Jos. 20: 7-8.) 
Being exhorted by the elders of the congregation, the six hun- 

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dred who had escaped the war of extermination in Gibeah had 
gone to Shiloh at a feast of the Lord, when the daughters of 
Shiloh went out to dance. They caught every man his wife 
and returned to the land of Benjamin. In such a way the tribe 
of Benjamin was preserved among the others. (Jud. 21: 15-25.) 

To this place came the god fearing Hannah with her son to 
give him to the Lord, and here the Lord called Samuel to do 
the great work of a reformer in Israel. Here it was that 
Samuel said, "Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth" (I Sam. 
3:9). Here he grew to be a prophet, mighty in word and deed 
Here in Shiloh Eli finished his days, when he heard the 
lamentable report of the messenger about the unfortunate 
battle at Aphek. Yonder through the valley he came running 
with torn clothes, dust upon his head, and told his sad story 
in the gates of Shiloh. He told the story to the aged Eli, who 
was ninety years old. Eli listened patiently to the report of 
the flight of the children of Israel from the Philistines and of 
the death of his sons; but when he heard that the ark was 
taken, he fell from off his seat backward by the side of the gate, 
and his neck brake, and he died : for he was an old man and 
heavy. (I Sam. 4: 18.) Eli was a weak man in many ways. 
His weakness in the education of his children was a great mis- 
fortune for him and his people. He was satisfied with, "Nay, 
my sons," and let it go at that. But he is not alone in this 
weakness. There are many Elis in these days and we begin to 
see it. The Christian discipline of the home, which ought to 
characterize every family, is not found everywhere in these 
days, and we are beginning to see the results. Neglect in 
bringing up our children brings dire results sooner or later. 

The ark of God did not return to Shiloh and henceforth 
this city sank into insignificance. 

As we walked along the valley towards the northwest from 



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the ruins, we thought of the life and interest of the olden 
days at this center; now everything is absolutely dead. Per- 
haps the men of Benjamin came along this very valley, El- 
Lubban, when they rushed among the dancing daughters of 
Shiloh and took wives unto themselves so that they might not 
be eliminated as a tribe in Israel. 

In a short time we came to Khan el-Lubban and found a 
resting place for caravans. "We sat down by the well, took 
dinner, and rested awhile. While we sat there, many camels 
and sheep came to the flowing well and quenched their thirst 
with the cool water. Think of the significance of a spring in a 
tropical country like this ! The poor animals drank in abund- 
ance from the flowing stream. As we proceed, we notice to 
the left at the foot of a slope a little village. This is El- 
Lubban. Here we have the old Lebonah (Jud. 21: 19). Even 
in this name we notice very little change. 

Having passed the plain to the east of El-Lubban, we pro- 
ceeded in a zigzag way along the hillsides, until we came to the 
top of the mountain. Here is a splendid view of the large 
plain of Askar or El-Mukna to the north, of Ebal and Gerizim 
to the west of it, and of Mt. Hermon far in the background. 
The mountains here are higher and the valleys are wider than 
further south in Samaria. Our road winds down the hillsides, 
until we come down on the plain. As we rode along the plain 
we passed the ruins of Mukna, and at last we came to the foot 
of Mt. Gerizim. The road is a little steeper and turns to the 
left into Shechem. 

At the northeast side of Gerizim we leave the carriage and 
go down to Jacob's well. Greek Catholics, who own the land 
where the well is located, have built a wall here. We passed 
through the gate and came, within a few steps, to a church 
ruin, just excavated. From the ancient church there were two 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



stairs leading down into a little chapel, and there we find the 
well. Each stair has twelve steps. I went down on the 
southern side and behold, here is the well of Jacob. If we are 
uncertain in regard to other places in the Holy Land, there 
can be no question as to this well. Tradition and history unite 
in pointing to this place. When Jacob returned from Mesopo- 
tamia, he put up his tent outside of Shechem, "and he bought 
a parcel of field, where he had spread his tent, at the hand of 
the children of Hamor, Shechem 's father, for a hundred pieces 
of money, and he erected there an altar, and called it El-e-lohe- 
Israel" (Gen, 33: 19-20). The well is mentioned for the first 
time by the evangelist John. "Jesus left Judea and departed 
into Galilee. And he must needs go through Samaria. Then 
cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to 
the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now 
Jacob's well was there" (John 4: 3-6). It was the sixth hour, 
when Jesus came to the well — twelve o'clock at noon — and as 
He was tired of the journey, He sat down at the well, and a 
woman of Samaria came to draw water. Here that wonderful 
conversation arose between Jesus and the woman ; a conversa- 
tion which John has left posterity in his gospel. In this con- 
versation we find that Christ had no need of being told what is 
in man, for he knows the nature and the thoughts of man. 
Furthermore we find the wonderful pastoral wisdom in this. 
He begins with questions of everyday life. This the woman 
understood. From this sphere He leads her into the higher, 
and she is led to see what she had not seen before. He leads 
her into the depths of the soul-life and speaks to her of a foun- 
tain with water that will give everlasting life. 

She asked Him for this water, that she might not need to 
come and fetch water any more. The woman commenced to 
speak of her Messiah and then Jesus says: "I that speak unto 

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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



thee am He" (John 4:26). The woman was won for the king- 
dom of Christ, and went into the city and invited the citizens 
to come and see a man who had told her all that she had done. 
They came and remained with Him two days, and Samaria had 
a visitation from on high. 

Here somewhere sat that wonderful prophet from Caper- 
naum. When we came to the well, they were cleaning it. By 
means of ropes and baskets they were pulling up sand and 
rubbish that had gathered in it. These baskets women carried 
away on their heads. A man was at the bottom and filled the 
baskets. I helped to wind up one basket of sand, and let me add 
that it was quite a job. We asked a Greek priest who conducted 
the work, how deep the well is and he said : "It is 65 feet deep 
now and is, perhaps, 30 or 40 feet yet to the real bottom." I 
sat down on the southeast side of the well and read the fourth 
chapter of Saint John. An hour that I cannot forget. The man 
at the bottom had a light, so that he might be able to see how to 
do his work. Thus we had a chance to look into the well of 
Jacob. 

Having seen the well, we went out of the chapel into the 
ruins of the church. It is likely that the ruins date from the 
time of the Crusades. The Mohammedans tore down the church 
when they became masters of the country, and during the cen- 
turies the ruins have been buried under the sand and gravel 
that have been swept down the side of Gerizim by the rain. The 
ruins were covered with soil from two to six feet deep. 

Taking the surroundings into consideration, we cannot be- 
lieve that the woman came from Shechem to draw water, nearly 
a mile to the west from the well, between the mountains Ebal 
and Gerizim. There is a village within about five minutes ' walk 
from the well, called Balata. Here stood the oak, under which 
Joshua set up the great stone, and this oak was by the sanctuary 



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of the Lord. (Jos. 24:26.) Early Christian tradition and Samari- 
tan chronicle point to this place, and it is no doubt the right one. 
The word Balata means oak. In the northeastern part of this 
village is the tomb of Joseph. In this village is a well that gives 
an abundance of water, and has done so for ages. Now the 
question is, why should the woman come so far to fetch water, 
when she could have gotten it at Balata ? If she lived in Shechem 
she could have drawn all the water she needed right there, be- 
cause there are all kinds of springs in and around the city. The 
answer has been that the woman must have valued this water 
very much, and hence she came to the well to draw water. It 
seems that it was not customary for the public to draw water 
at the well even in the time of our Saviour. The expression of 
the woman would indicate this. She said: "Thou hast nothing 
to draw with and the well is deep." (John 4: 11). If they usu- 
ally drew water at this well, there would have been some kind 
of contrivance for this purpose. 

But there is no need of arguing that the woman came from 
Shechem. In about fifteen minutes you will reach a town at 
the south east side of Ebal called Askar. You will note, that 
there is not a great difference between this name and Sychar. 
Askar is the Arabic form of Sychar and means "monument." 
Perhaps the village receives this name, because it is so near the 
tomb of Joseph. Such changes in the Semitic languages are 
very common. The distance from the well speaks also in 
favor of the place. We must, therefore, make a distinction 
between Shechem and Sychar. But it may be however it 
pleases with these places, the well and the surroundings are the 
same. The eyes of the Saviour beheld these mountains and 
valleys, and here along this road the merciful Master was 
walking. I found it rather difficult to break loose from this 



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place. We went to see the grave or tomb of Joseph, a distance 
of about 1500 feet from the well. 

The eyes of the Saviour beheld these mountains and valleys, 
and here along this road the merciful Master was walking. I 
found it rather difficult to break loose from this place. We went 
to see the grave or tomb of Joseph, a distance of about 1500 
feet from the well. 

On his deathbed Jacob gave to his son Joseph a portion 
above his brethren, which he took out of the hand of the Amorite 
with the sword and the bow. (Gen. 48 :22.) The bones of Joseph, 
which were brought out of Egypt, were buried here in this 
parcel of ground, which became an inheritance of the children 
of Joseph. (Jos, 24:32.) When we came to the grave a Mo- 
hammedan sat there and read his El-Koran. My dragoman 
asked for the key, so that we might go in, but the watchman said 
that it was in the village (Balata). We did not wish to stay 
until he had brought the key and were satisfied with looking 
through the door, which was full of cracks. On the floor stood 
a sarcophagus, but I cannot say whether the bones of Joseph 
were found in it or not. 

Through the village Balata we went westward to Shechem. 
A little distance from the village the two mountains, Ebal and 
Gerizim, come quite close to each other, and if a man stood be- 
tween them, on the plain, it would be quite easy to hear a man 
speak on either mountain. Here on the level plain the children 
of Israel were gathered together in the time of Joshua, when 
he reminded them of the blessings of the Lord and read the law 
unto them. Here they heard him say : ' 1 But as for me and my 
house, we will serve the Lord" (Jos. 24:15). Here the people 
made a covenant with the Lord, and in memory of this covenant 
they raised a stone by the oak of which we have spoken before. 
Soon we arrive at Shechem, which is jammed in between the 



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mountains. The valley is 1,600 feet wide where the city is lo- 
cated. 

The city of Shechem is very old. When Abraham came 
from Mesopotamia into the land of Canaan this city was in ex- 
istence. From the valley of Hebron Jacob sent his son Joseph 
to find out the condition of his brethren, who were watching the 
flocks here. (Gen. 37 : 12-14.) Shechem was chosen as one of the 
cities of refuge on the west side of the Jordan and was a Leviti- 
cal city. To this place the ten tribes came after the death of 
Solomon to choose a king, and they chose Rehoboam . (I Kings 
12 :1.) Here this king lived, while he ruled over Israel, and here 
was his capital city. (I Kings 12:25.) When the capital city 
was moved to Samaria, Shechem became to some extent forgotten, 
but after the Babylonian captivity it looms up again, and is a 
chief city of the Samaritans. The Samaritans tried by force 
and craftiness to hinder the Jews in their work on the temple. 
They succeeded for some time, but after awhile the Jews were 
permitted to continue with their building. The enmity between 
the Samaritans and the Jews existed still in the time of our 
Saviour. You will notice this in the question of the Samaritan 
woman : ' ' How is it that thou, being a Jew, asketh drink of me, 
which am a woman of Samaria ? For the Jews have no dealings 
with the Samaritans" (John 4:9). 

When we arrived in the city, we registered at the Latin 
Hospitz, where we had everything as we wished. The monks 
were very congenial, and did all they could to make us feel at 
home. Having rested awhile, we went to the high priest of the 
Samaritans, who lives at the foot of Gerizim in the outskirts of 
the town. The streets are about as miserable as you can imagine, 
crooked and dirty and very often there is a stench that is almost 
unbearable. At last we came to the synagogue, a regular hovel. 
The high priest was not at home; he had gone out to see some 



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sick person at a hospital, but his sons were at home. They re- 
ceived us at the door of the synagogue. In order that our unholy 
feet might not pollute the rug, the boy rolled it away, and placed 
chairs on the floor that we might have a seat. One of the boys 
spoke a little English. I asked him for the privilege of seeing 
the old parchment roll of the Old Testament. It is known that 
the Samaritans do not acknowledge any other books than the 
Pentateuch or the Five Books of Moses. He brought forth a very 
old roll, but we told him that this was not the oldest, and at 
last he came with it. It is certainly very ancient, but surely 
not so old as the Samaritans claim. 

I asked the boy how many brothers he had and he said, 
"Fourteen." I retorted, "Do you really have so many?" Then 
he said, ' ' Two of them belong to my uncle. ' ' The boys brought 
a photograph of their father and asked us to buy some copies 
of it, but they charged so much that we were not willing to pay 
the price they asked. Then my dragoman paid the required 
bakschisch and so we departed. As we did so, I asked the boy 
how many Samaritans there are at present and he answered, 
"About 150." This people is gradually becoming extinct, and it 
will not be long before they are all gone. They are forbidden to 
marry other nationalities and for this reason their history cannot 
last long after this. 

Going out in the city we came to a mosque, which during 
the Crusades had been a Christian church, the St John 's Church 
of Shechem. As we looked in we saw quite a few Mohammedans 
therein. In Shechem the Mohammedans are very fanatical, 
and the stranger has to be very careful not to arouse their fanati- 
cism in any way. When we passed through the city they looked 
daggers at us, and we could easily see that it would take but a 
spark to blaze up into a great fire. 



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But we must go up to the top of Gerizim. I engaged an 
Arab boy and went up. My dragoman did not feel well and did 
not wish to go up. "We followed the road in a southeasterly 
direction along the sides of the mountain. This was very steep, 
and the ascent proved to be quite a task. Gerizim is 2,850 feet 
high, and Ebal, on the north side, is 3,075. At last we came to 
the top of the mountain. Here we found some shepherds, watch- 
ing their flocks. Heaps of ruins are found here, and especially 
on the eastern edge of the mountain. Here stood the temple of 
the Samaritans, which was torn down by Hyrcanus. Judging 
from the ruins, this must have been a magnificent temple. Here 
is a wall of a fortress which Justinian built. Right near the 
wall of the fortress stands a Mohammedan "veli," or the tomb 
of a Mohammedan saint. Here we have a most excellent view of 
the Mukna plain and the whole vicinity even to Perea. Towards 
the east, at the foot of a hill is Salim, near by Enon, where John 
was baptizing. (John 3:5.) 

I walked around on the top of Gerizim with my Arab boy 
a long time; there were many things to be seen. Among other 
things we must note the place, where the Samaritans bring their 
Paschal lamb for sacrifice. They stick very closely to their re- 
ligious ideas. When the sun was about to set, I began my de- 
cent. The Arab boy ran among the stones as nimbly as a goat. 
At last we are at the hospitz among the monks. I gave the boy 
a franc and he seemed satisfied. Arabs are very seldom satisfied, 
though. 

There are about 25,000 inhabitants in Shechem at the pres- 
ent time, and most of them are Mohammedans. It is very likely 
that this city became entirely devastated in the Jewish wars, 
but was rebuilt. "The Wars of the Jews," by Josephus, was 
written in the year 75 A. D. and he speaks of this place as the 
New City, or Neapolis. The Arabs have changed this into Nablus. 



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During the night I slept very poorly, because of the Turkish 
soldiers who had their barracks near our hospitz. 

The 24th of September we arose at five o 'clock. This was my 
first day in the saddle, and I was rather curious to see how I 
would get along with the Arab bronchos. We had our breakfast 
with our good monks and they prepared dinner for us. At half 
past six our horses were ready and we went away. But such 
horses ! They were the most wretched animals I have seen, and 
I rejoiced in the hope that I could exchange them for better ones 
at noon. We went out of the city in a northwesterly direction 
through the Valley of Shechem, following the new road that 
leads to Haifa, passing along hillsides, over ridges and through 
valleys. At last we came on a ridge, from which we saw towards 
the northwest the old Sebastje, the ancient Samaria. Sebastje 
is about six miles from Shechem and is located on an oblong hill. 

During the course of time the ten tribes had three capital 
cities, Shechem, Tirza, and Samaria. While the House of Ahab 
ruled, Jezreel was considered, together with Samaria, as a 
capital city. In the kingdom of Israel nineteen kings ruled, 
and they were all ungodly. This kingdom lasted from 975 to 
722 B. C, when Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, came and carried 
the ten tribes into the Assyrian captivity. The history of this 
people shows clearly that " Righteousness exalteth a nation, but 
sin is a reproach to any people" (Pro v. 14: 34). One revolution 
followed upon another, and murder and bloodshed belonged to 
the order of the day. But God is not to be mocked. The same 
law that holds good in the case of the individual applies also to 
nations, and where do you see the operation of this law more 
clearly than among the ten tribes ? 

While we are in Samaria, we think of the founder of this 
ancient city of Omri. He lived six years in Tirza, and then he 
bought the hill in Samaria of Shemer for two talents of silver, 



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and built on this hill a city and called it Shemer, or Samaria, 
after the owner of the hill. (I Kings 16 :24.) After Omri, Ahab 
was chosen king and he followed in the footsteps of his ungodly 
father and did evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were 
before him. (I Kings 16:30.) During the time of this king the 
prophet Elijah lived and worked for the upbuilding of God's 
kingdom among the ten tribes. He was a kind of court preacher, 
sparing neither the royal family nor anyone else. The king 
was unwilling to acknowledge that the punishments which the 
Lord sent were due to his sins, and the blame was put on the 
prophet Elijah. Such is the human heart, and has been since 
the fall of Adam and Eve. It was during the time of Ahab that 
Mesha, king of Moab, was subservient to Ahab. "And Mesha, 
king of Moab, was a sheepmaster, and rendered unto the king of 
Israel a hundred thousand lambs and a hundred thousand rams, 
with the wool. But it came to pass, when Ahab was dead, that 
the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel." (I Kings 
3 :4-5). It is concerning this King Mesha that the Moabite stone 
treated. Perhaps it is not out of the way to relate something 
about this stone in this connection. The stone was erected 850 
B. C. to glorif3 T the victories of Mesha over the king of Israel. 

. In the year 1869, the 19th of August, a Prussian traveler, 
Rev. F. A. Klein, discovered the stone at Dibon, the ancient 
Diban. It is three and a half feet high by two and a half feet 
broad and two feet thick with a rounded top. He kept this 
discovery secret for some time and did not tell it even to the 
prominent men in Jerusalem at that time. In 1869 a rough 
squeeze was taken by an Arab for Clermont Ganneau. The 
Consul Peterman sought to get hold of the stone, but did not 
succeed, and then he made known the value of the stone to the 
inhabitants. They made it red hot and poured cold water on it 
and broke it in pieces, so as to be able to make so much more 



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money from the various pieces. They considered the stone to 
have healing power. Two large fragments and eighteen small 
ones were recovered. By means of these pieces, together with 
the two squeezes that were taken, they were able to restore the 
text of the stone. This is now in the J ewish court of the Louvre 
at Paris. A facsimile of this stone is in the British Museum. Here 
is the text: 

"I am Mesha, son of Chemosh, king of Moab, the Dibonite. 
My father was king of Moab thirty years and I became king 
after my father. And I made this high place of Chemosh in 
Kerkh as a token of gratitude for the deliverance wrought for 
Mesha, because he saved me from all that attacked me and caused 
me to see my desire upon all that hated me. Omri was king in 
Israel and oppressed Moab many days, because Chemosh was 
angry with his land, and his son succeeded him, and he also 
said, I will oppress Moab. In my days he spoke thus. But I 
saw my desire upon him and upon his house, and Israel perished 
forever. Now Omri annexed all the land of Medeba, and Israel 
occupied it, his days and half his son's days, forty years and 
restored it to Chemosh in my days and built Baalmeon, and I 
made in it the Shwh [perhaps reservoir] , and I built Kirjathaim. 
And the men of Gad occupied the land of Ataroth [Num. 32: 
3, 34] from of old, and the king of Israel built for himself 
Ataroth. And I fought against the town and took it, and put to 
death all the people of the town, a pleasing spectacle for Chemosh 
and for Moab. And I brought prisoners thence, and I dragged 
them in the sight of Chemosh in Keriot, and I settled in it men 
from Maharath [Makeros?]. Chemosh said to me, Go and take 
Nebo from Israel; and I went by night and fought against it 
from break of dawn till noon. And I took it and put them all 
to death, seven thousand men, women and female slaves — for the 
sacrifice of women belong to Ashtaroth and Chemosh. And I 



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took thence Jehovah's Kar [?] and I break them before the 
sight of Chemosh. And the king of Israel built Jahaz and occu- 
pied it, while he fought against me. And Chemosh drove him 
out before me, and I took from Moab two hundred men, of all 
its clans, and led them against Jahaz and took it to add it to 
Dibon. And I built its gates, and I built its tower, and I built 
the king's house. And I made sluices for the reservoirs for the 
water in the midst of the city. And there was no cistern in the 
midst of the city in Kerkh, and I said to all the people, Make 
for you, each of you, a cistern in his house, and I hewed the 
timber for the Kirkh by means of the prisoners, taken from 
Israel. I built Aroer, and I built Beth-bemoth, for it had been 
destroyed. I built Bezer, for it was in ruins. The men of Diban 
were all loyal, and I reigned over a hundred in the cities, which 
I had added to the land. And I built Medeba and Beth-Diblath- 
aim. And as for Beth-baal-meon, there I placed flocks, sheep 
of the land, and Horonaim, wherein dwelt the son of Dedan, and 
Chemosh said to me, Go down, fight against Horonaim, and I 
went down and fought. ..." 

The last part of the text is not very legible. The letters 
are in Hebrew, and without doubt the very same kind that 
were used in the days of David and Solomon. This was a very 
important discovery and in every point it has confirmed the 
Bible. Here we have a chance to make comparison with the 
Scripture, and in doing so, we shall find that there is a marked 
correspondence in everything with the Book. We find that all 
such discoveries confirm the Bible story in detail. This circum- 
stance, that makes the stones cry out against the unbelief of the 
times, ought to put to silence the ignorance of foolish men (I Pet. 
2:15), but no, these men of the higher criticism will always find 
some loophole and try to escape, and speak evil of things which 
they know not. (Jud. 10.) 



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From the captivity until the time of Herod, the Sacred 
history does not speak much about this city of Sebastje. It was 
Herod that adorned the city with beautiful buildings, and sur- 
rounded the same with a wall. He also built a fort here. In 
the western part of the city he arranged for an open space, and 
in the midst of this he built a temple to the honor of Augustus. 
This structure was one of the most beautiful in the country. 
The name was changed to Sebastje in honor of Augustus. 

Very early in the Christian era the Christian doctrine was 
preached here. Here was a bishopric and the bishop attended 
the meeting at Nice, 325. 

Yale University was just in the act of excavating 
in the western part of the hill, and we were very much interested 
in this work. My fellow traveler, the Rev. Mr. Miller, had come 
from Asia Minor to see the excavation. We were there at half 
past eight in the morning, and the laborers were busy at their 
task, but the professor who had charge of the work was sleeping 
in a tent near by. We did not wish to wake him; otherwise it 
would have been interesting to meet him and find out something 
about the ruins. We had a chance to see a part of the excavated 
ruins, and this proved to be exceedingly interesting. About two 
hundred and fifty women from Egypt were carrying baskets of 
sand on their heads. They pay them usually two and a half 
piaster a day or ten cents. Those who are strong and able to do 
very heavy work received five piasters a day. Think of it ! Ten 
or twenty cents a day, working under the scorching sun of 
Syria, and such disagreeable work at that ! But they seemed to 
be happy and marched along with their baskets from the deep 
shafts along the walls. They do not know any better, and so 
they are satisfied with their lot. We stood there a long time 
and watched them as they came in long files from the deep 

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shafts along the walls with the baskets upon their heads. A 
curious sight, indeed! 

We had a chance to see the early walls and some of the ruins 
of the houses. They had uncovered quite an area in the western 
part of the city. The foundations were built by the founder 
Omri and his son Ahab. The stones were not very large, but 
they were well put together. But the most beautiful work was 
that which Herod had built. There we saw the marble staircase 
to the temple built in honor of Augustus, and this was very well 
preserved. The temple was torn down, but we saw some of the 
walls and foundations. Before the stair we saw a headless 
statue of Augustus in a box, ready to be shipped to Constan- 
tinople. A little farther west there were two round towers, be- 
tween which the city gate was located. From this gate there 
were great stairs, leading into the city. When they have dug 
up the foundations, and seen all there is to be seen, they photo- 
graph the whole and cover them up again, because they do not 
dare to leave them uncovered. The Beduins would then destroy 
all they could get hold of. Some of the women were busy carry- 
ing the sand back again to cover up the parts that had been 
photographed. Sad, indeed, that these wild sons of the desert 
should be so inclined to destroy everything. If they could have 
left this part of the ruins uncovered, the public might have 
had a chance to see them, but now they are under the sod and 
cannot be seen at all. 

Now we returned to the eastern end of the hill, following 
the row of pillars on the south side of the ridge. About half of 
them are visible ; the other part is under the ground. G-oing 
along these pillars, we came to the middle of the hill. Here 
they had dug up the ruins of a building, supposed to be the 
remains of a court house. We could clearly see the place where 
the judges sat at court. The seats were of white marble, and the 



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pillars of very fine polished granite. They could build in the 
olden times; here we have evidences enough. At this ruin an 
Arab was placed as a watchman, so that no one might photograph 
the excavated parts. The poor Arab was really in agony, be- 
cause the Rev. Mr. Miller took up his camera. My dragoman 
consoled him that there was no danger, and the Arab said : " If 
you take photographs I will be dismissed." However, the Rev. 
Mr. Miller took a snapshot and the watchman did not seem to 
understand that he did it. 

Now we mounted our horses, which some of the boys had 
watched in the hope that they might get some bakschisch, and 
as we were on the point of going, the boys cried out in chorus, 
" Bakschisch, bakschisch," and our dragoman had to give them 
some. He gave them a few piasters and they became satisfied. 

Now we passed along the mountains of Samaria, following 
old caravan roads, and sometimes we crossed hills, mountains 
and valleys in the footsteps of jackals and the pathways of 
hyenas. My dragoman knows Palestine by heart, and is familiar 
with every hill and valley. For this reason you feel safe in his 
company. Arriving at a resting place by the name Sileh, we 
dismounted at a fountain or spring in a hillside. A group of 
children and women came to the spring to fetch water. Some 
of them were tatooed and had bracelets of silver around their 
arms. I became surprised when I saw those slender women 
carry those heavy jars on their heads. They filled them with 
water, but were not able to lift them up on their heads without 
help. Such was life in the olden times, when Rachel came to 
the well to fetch water in distant Mesopotamia. While we were 
waiting, Mr. Aboosh suggested that we should take our dinner, 
and we did so. The monks in Nablous had put up a very good 
lunch. I got another horse after lunch, but not much better than 

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the first. I had to ride this poor animal during my journey in 
the northern part of Palestine. 

We went off in a northerly direction and our next goal was 
Jenin. Along with me and my dragoman came a "mule-boy'' 
from Jerusalem by the name Hammadi. He was not a boy any 
more, but was married and his wife lived in Jerusalem. As 
evidence of the education and intelligence of this man, let me 
add that he could neither read nor write and did not know how 
old he was. But that is nothing unusual among the Mohamme- 
dans. In the afternoon we came on a ridge, where we had a 
most excellent view of the plain of Dothan, or as it is now called, 
Arrabe. We came down to this plain in the southwestern end. 
I began to feel sick as I rode along the plain. I endeavored to 
reach Dothan, but it was not an easy matter. My dragoman 
rode ahead, and I was a little distance behind, followed by Ham- 
madi. I became worse, stepped down from the horse, and sat 
down on the plain by the wayside. The food that we had brought 
along from the monks at Nablous and the spring water was, no 
doubt, the cause of it. At this time the Syrian fever also took 
hold of me. I could not ride and tried to walk, but could not 
even do that. Now I tried to drink some water, but could not 
keep it. We were but a little distance from Dothan and by a 
strong effort I succeeded in reaching that place, which was lo- 
cated on the hill at the northeast end of the plain. It is called 
by the Arabs Jubb Yusuf. We are now about twelve miles from 
Sebastje, and about five miles from Jenin. Water was flowing 
from the well, and there were a number of trees near by. Now 
I lay me down under the shadow of the trees, at a little distance 
from the well. This is said to be the well into which Joseph 
was thrown by his brothers. 

As I lay there I thought of my own situation and that of 
Joseph. I remembered the story of the young boy who had been 



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walking all the way from the Valley of Hebron. His father 
sent him first to Shechem, but his brethren were not there. He 
was told that they were in Dothan, and so he came to this place. 
And as the brothers saw him, they said: " Behold this dreamer 
cometh. Come now, therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him 
into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured 
him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams." (Gen. 
37:19-20). 

In this village on the hill the prophet Elisha used to live. 
During his time war broke out between the king of Damascus, 
Benhadad II (920-890 B. C), and the king of Israel, Joram. 
The prophet informed Joram about all that the king, Benhadad 
spoke in his bedchamber, and when he found out that Elisha 
was the man that gave this information, Benhadad sent horses 
and wagons and a large army, and the town of Dothan was 
surrounded. Just think of it! A whole army is sent out to 
capture a single man ! In the morning an army was besieging 
the place and the servant asked: "Alas, my master! how shall 
we do?" Then the prophet answered: "Fear not: for they 
that be with us are more than they that be with them. ' ' Then 
the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw; and 
behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire 
round about Elisha." The army was stricken with blindness, 
and the prophet brought them to Samaria, about twelve miles 
from here; and although they were his enemies, he set bread 
and water before them, that they might eat and drink and go 
home to their master. (II Kings 6:8-33.) The old prophet went 
at them in a Christian manner, heaping coals of fire upon their 
heads. Indeed, great things have happened here on the hills 
of Dothan. Now there are only a few houses here, where poor 
fellaheen live. We saw a few men sitting there among the fruit 
trees; others came to the well to water their sheep and cattle. 



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This place was forgotten during the course of centuries, and 
no one seemed to know where it was located. But in the year 
1852 Van de Welde and, in the same year, Robinson happened 
to hear the people in the vicinity speak of Dothan, or Dothaim, 
and in this way the lost city or town was discovered. Dothan 
is mentioned in connection with the warfare against Judea. In 
this connection Betulia is also mentioned. It is very near Dothan 
and is now called Sanus. 

Having rested by the well among the trees at Dothan, I re- 
covered, and endeavored to continue the journey to Jenin, 
about five miles to the northeast. But now my "mule-boy" be- 
came sick and I did not know what to do. What could my poor 
dragoman do with two sick men, out here in the wilderness? 
Sometimes I rode and sometimes I walked, leaning against my 
horse, and sometimes I sat down to rest. Surely I was on the 
point of giving up. Sometimes we followed a poor road, and at 
other times, again, we departed from it, so as to come by the 
most direct route to our destination. We saw the minarets 
beyond the hills towards the northeast, and I thought we were 
near the goal^ but it took some time ere we came to the town. 
We came into a valley and my dragoman showed me a little 
ravine where six or seven men, some years ago, shot one another 
down to the last man. This region is known to be very insecure 
for travelers. Bloody feuds have been fought here between 
sheiks. We succeeded in getting through safely, though. A 
little distance outside the town we saw how the women carried 
gravel in baskets on their heads to repair the road. Surely the 
lot of woman in the Orient is very hard ! We rode into the town 
and put up at the German hotel, recently built. Here is a 
fountain that gives an abundance of water, and there are many 
orchards around the village. 



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Jenin is located on the boundary line between Samaria and 
Galilee, in a valley where the mountains of Samaria cease and 
the plain of Jezreel extends towards the north. Jenin is the 
old En-Gannin, i. e. Orchardwell (Jos. 19:21), and was a Levite 
city (Jos. 21:29). Josephus relates that it was located on the 
boundary line between Samaria and the plain of Jezreel. He 
calls it Genaea. From the well in this village a brook runs 
down into Kishon, and this brook is enlarged by some other 
springs on the plain to the west from here. The orchards were 
in a very good condition, and here we saw some palm trees. 
The town has about 3,000 inhabitants, and some of them are 
Christians. The people at this place are known for their inclina- 
tion to steal, and our " mule-boy" was on the lookout, so that 
no long-fingered Arab would annex some of our belongings 
during the night. 

When I came to the hotel I could scarcely walk, and as I 
came into the bedroom in the second story, I threw myself down 
on the bed, unable to take off my clothes. My dragoman helped 
all he could. I took some medicines that I had brought along 
from Jerusalem, and towards midnight I fell asleep. At one 
o'clock at night I awoke and was much better. I awoke my 
dragoman and told him I could continue my journey in the 
morning. He was surprised at my speedy recovery, and I was 
not any less surprised myself. We arose at half past seven. I 
tried to take breakfast, but could not eat very much. At half 
past seven we were in the saddle and went out of the town. I 
thanked God who had restored me so that I could continue. 



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Chapter XV 



FROM JENIN TO TIBERIAS 

THE 25th of September we rode out on the plain of Jezreel. 
In this early hour of the morning the sun was very warm, 
as it rose over the Gilboa Mountain in the east, and I prophesied 
a very hot day. A little later in the forenoon a breeze blew 
from the northwest over the plain, and this made our journey 
a little more pleasant. We are on the historic plain of Jezreel. 
Let us remind ourselves of some of the events that have taken 
place here in southern Galilee. But before we do that, let us 
try to describe this wonderful plain. It has the form of a tri- 
angle whose base extends from Jenin to the hills below Nazareth, 
and is about fifteen miles long. The north side, which runs 
along the hills of Galilee, is twelve miles, and the southern, 
running along the hills of Samaria and Carmel, is eighteen 
miles long. In the west there is a bay, extending to Haifa. 
From the base of the triangle there are three bays extending 
eastward. These are separated by the mountains of Little Her- 
mon and Gilboa. The highest point of the plain is at Jezreel, 
and is 600 feet above the sea level and 1,300 feet above the 
Jordan. This plain is called once in the Bible "the Land of the 
Valley" (Jos. 17 :16). It is also called the "Valley of Megiddo" 
(II Chron. 35:22; Zach. 12:11). When the Greek language 
was spoken in this country, it was called Esdraelon and Stradela. 
Josephus calls it the Great Plain (Bel. Jud. 3:1); the Arabs 
call it the "Pasture of the Children of Amir" (Merdj ibn Amir). 
During the summertime this plain is dry and affords no difficulty 



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in crossing it, but in the winter it is impossible to cross certain 
parts. The soil is very rich and gives good returns. In the 
summertime it is full of cracks, and in the rainy season these 
become filled with water. This plain is almost desolate and only 
a sixth of it is under cultivation. The Beduins put up their 
tents here in the summertime and feed their flocks and cattle. 

In the early morning we saw two gazelles running over the 
plain and heard two shots. This reminded me of the word of 
the psalmist David, "The hind of the morning," or the hind, 
hunted in the morning (Ps. 22:1). After a little while we ob- 
served some villages on Gilboa. One of these is El-Fukuah, 
whence this range of mountains has its present name, Jebel El- 
Fukuah. Another village is Jelban, which reminds us of Gilboa. 
This mountain is spoken of in the Holy Scriptures only in con- 
nection with the story of the death of Saul and his sons. 

While my mind was engaged with the history of the un- 
happy Saul, we came to Zerin, the old Jezreel, which is located 
on a little ridge, whose height is about 100 feet. The history of 
this place extends back to the time of Ahab, when he located his 
capital city here and built the ivory house (I Kings 22:39). 
Sometimes he lived here and sometimes in Samaria (I Kings 
20:1-2; 22:10). Here the vineyard of Naboth was located, the 
vineyard that the ungodly Jezebel procured for her husband 
Ahab. When the king went down to take possession of the 
vineyard, Elijah, the Tishbite, met him and said : " In the place 
where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, 
even thine" (I Kings 21:19). And thus it happened according 
to the word of the prophet. In this old place there is a tower, 
from the top of which there is a splendid view of the plain. 
Was it, perhaps, in this tower the watchman stood, when he 
observed the messenger, who came from the unruly people on 
the other side of Jordan (II Kings 9 :17) ? Some think so. But 



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this tower is very likely of a later date. To this place it was 
that the prophet Elijah went before the carriage of Ahab, when 
he came from Carmel to escape the rain (I Kings 18:45-46). 
Here the ungodly Jezebel had to pay for her transgressions. 
When the son of Ahab, J oram, was visited by the king of Judah, 
Ahaziah, the newly-annointed king, Jehu, shot him with an arrow 
between the shoulders, so that the arrow passed out through the 
heart, and he fell down in his carriage. 

"When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it, and she 
painted her face and looked out at the window. But at the 
command of the king the eunuchs threw her down, so that the 
blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses, and he drove 
over her. And when he had come in, he did eat and drink and 
said : ' ' Go, see now this cursed woman, and bury her, for she is a 
king's daughter." And they went to bury her: but they found 
no more of her than the skull, the feet, and the palms of her 
hands. Wherefore they came again and told him. And he said : 
"This is the word of the Lord, which He spake by His servant 
Elijah, the Tishbite, saying, In the portion of Jezreel shall dogs 
eat the flesh of Jezebel: and the carcass of Jezebel shall be as 
dung upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel ; so that 
they shall not say, This is Jezebel" (II Kings 9:30-37). God is 
not to be mocked. "Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he 
also reap." The slaves of sin too often forget that the "wages 
of sin is death. ' ' 

Zerin is now a miserable place, but was once upon a time 
a very important town in the tribe of Issachar. Here we have 
a most excellent view over the plain westward. To the south- 
west we see the ruins of Taanach and Megiddo. Only a pile of 
pieces of jars and walls of houses together with sepulchres, cut 
out in the rocks, are to be seen here at present. Below the old 
village is a mosque. Perhaps this was a Christian church at 



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one time. About four and a half miles to the north of this place 
is Megiddo. Here the German Palestine Fund has made ex- 
cavations. Megiddo is now called El-Lejun. In this plain it 
was that Sisera and Barak fought for the supremacy. Deborah, 
who judged in Israel, sang a song in honor of this warfare. 

We are still at Zerin and ride down the slope on the north 
side of the village to the real plain. Here we follow the foot of 
Gilboa, until we arrive about a mile eastward at the northeast 
side of the mountain. Here is a fountain which flows from the 
mountain and forms a large pool. Right by the spring is a 
grotto in the mountain. This is the spring Harod, which is now 
called Ain Jalud. We rode right over this pool of water and 
came into the grotto. A number of people were sleeping here. 
We sat down for a little while and found a most excellent pro- 
tection from the rays of the sun. The water is very good, and 
I do not blame the Arabs for gathering here in the summertime. 
The water was not very cold, but very clear. To this well Gideon 
came with his warriors. When the Lord wants to do great 
things, he finds small and insignificant means. He came to 
Gideon, as he sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, and said unto 
him: "The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour." 
Now Gideon did not consider himself a mighty man, neither did 
he think that the Lord was with him, for he said : " Oh my Lord, 
if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us, and where 
be all His miracles, which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not 
the Lord bring us up from Egypt? But now the Lord hath 
forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites" 
(Jud. 6:12-13).' He saw only suffering and distress, and a 
people rejected by reason of its sin. But the Lord said: "Go in 
this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the 
Midianites: have I not sent thee?" (Jud. 6:14). Gideon had no 
power in himself, his family was poor in Manasseh, and he was 



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the least in his father's house. But in this his weakness he was 
strong, and he relied on God's promise with his 300 warriors 
and went out against the Midianites, Amalekites and others, 
who were encamped in the valley, numerous as grasshoppers. 

The plain of Jezreel extends to the north from the spring. 
It is not very wide at this point, and on the north side of the 
plain is the Hill of Moreh. The Midianites were encamped on 
the plain, towards this hill. Gideon drove the Midianites to 
the other side of the River Jordan, and the land had peace for 
forty years. On this plain Saul pitched his camp against the 
Philistines by the well in Jezreel, when he fought his last battle 
(I Sam. 29:1). 

Resting in the grotto a little while, we went out, mounted 
our horses, and were off in a northwesterly direction over the 
plain. Our first goal is Solam, the ancient Shunem, on the 
southwestern slope of Djebel Nebi Dahi, or Little Hermon. This 
was a very interesting goal, because Shunem is often spoken of 
in the Bible. It is located within the tribe of Issachar, three 
miles from Jezreel, and five miles from Gilboa. There the army 
of Saul encamped. During his last night on earth he went to 
the witch at Endor, which place is located on the northeast side 
of Little Hermon. 

Towards the southwest we see Carmel about twelve miles 
away. You can see almost the whole range at this place. To 
yonder mountain a woman went from Shunem to bring the 
prophet Elijah. The prophet used to be a guest at the house 
of this woman, while he was wandering along among his people. 
This woman had a son who died. And she came to the prophet 
that he might resurrect him. Elijah came and aroused him from 
the dead. From Shunem was the beautiful Abishag (I Kings 1 :3), 
and from this place was the Shulamite, the bride of Solomon 
(Songs of Sol. 6:13). The village is at present almost hidden 



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between trees and cactus hedges. "We came to the northwestern 
outskirts of the village, where we stopped to rest and take dinner. 
Owing to my experiences during the past day, I was very weak, 
and felt pleased to rest awhile. As to my dinner, I must say that 
this did not amount to much. At half past two we started for 
Nain, which is located on the western slope of this mountain. 
As .we were turning towards the northeast around the slope of 
the mountain, we met four robbers on horseback. They had all 
kinds of weapons. Two of them had long spears, and these we 
noticed first on the other side of a hill. When they came nearer 
to us, we observed that the two others each had a gun and 
cartridges in a belt around the waist. Besides this all four had 
pistols and knives, and their faces were covered up to their eyes. 
My dragoman rode ahead, I came next, and then my "mule- 
boy, ' ' Hammadi. I understood immediately what kind of people 
they were, and I wondered how our meeting with them would 
turn out. Mr. Aboosh hurried his horse, and so did I. When 
they came in front of the dragoman, they begged for tobacco. 
He answered, "I have none," and rode right ahead. When we 
came behind a little hill, where they could not see us, Mr. Aboosh 
turned around and asked, "Do you know who they were?" 
I answered, ' ' Robbers, no doubt. ' ' He replied. ' ' Yes, of the worst 
kind. ' ' He furthermore said that they did not dare to attack us, 
because they thought that I was an Englishman, and they have 
great respect for them. We considered ourselves lucky in 
getting away from those rascals. 

Here we have a splendid view of the plain in every direction. 
To the northeast we notice the beautiful Tabor, to the northwest 
the whole range of the mountains of Galilee extends before us, 
while Carmel is seen in all its majesty towards the southwest. 
On the hill towards the northwest is the goal for the day, Naz- 
areth. We have seen this town all day, ever since we left Jenin. 



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Away back in the rear towards the north the mountains of 
Galilee are extending their majestic ridges. On the plain are 
quite a few Bednin tents. 

My dragoman had sent the "mule-boy" directly from Jez- 
reel to Shunem. Now he thought of sending him over the plain 
to Nazareth ; but when he saw all those Beduin tents, he did not 
dare to do that, but told him to follow us all the way. The black 
tents, made out of goats' skins, were scattered over the plain. 
It must have looked something like that in the time of Midian, 
when Gideon drove those wild hordes back to Gilead and liberated 
Israel. Towards the north there were a number of Beduins also ; 
and as we had to go that way, I wondered how we would be able 
to get through their ranks. Among such people you are never 
sure. Riding about half an hour, we came to Nain. This village 
is at present a miserable-looking sight, and I could hardly under- 
stand how human beings could live in such hovels. 

This little village has become world renowned because of 
what the great Prophet from Nazareth did here, when he passed 
through Galilee on his missions. The Evangelist Luke informs 
us that the Lord Jesus, having delivered His Sermon on the 
Mount, went into Capernaum, and there he healed the centurion's 
servant (Luke 7:10). The following day He came to a city 
called Nain, followed by his disciples, and much people, and here 
at the gate He resurrected the widow's son (Luke 7:11-16). The 
Master came across the plain of Jezreel, passing by Mount Tabor 
and up the hillside to this place. The city had then only one 
gate, facing north, as it does now, but perhaps it was located 
a little farther towards the north then. Here the Master spoke 
those powerful words, "Young man, I say unto thee arise," and 
he that was dead sat up and began to speak. Here life and 
death met each other and life conquered. 



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Nain means "beautiful," and here is a beautiful view 
towards the north and west, but this place has been made more 
beautiful through the visit of our Saviour. Towards the north, 
in the hillside below the village, there are a great many tombs, 
hewn out in the rock. Perhaps it was into one of these they 
meant to lay the son of the widow. As we left Nain, we rode 
a little to the northeast to be able to see Endur, the ancient 
Endor. This place is located on the northeast slope of Little 
Hermon. Here the witch was living to whom Saul came in his 
dire distress (I Sam. 28). The houses are made out of sunburnt 
clay, some of stones, and they all look as though a witch might 
find a suitable place here yet. We rode out on the plain and 
went towards Tabor. This place is one of the renowned moun- 
tains of the land and is 1,300 feet above the plain. Towards the 
west from this mountain there is a ridge that connects it with 
the hills of Nazareth. As we passed over the plain, on the south- 
west side of it, we had a chance to look at it very carefully, and 
surely Tabor is beautiful ; in the Scriptures it is also an emblem 
of beauty. "Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in thy name" 
(Ps. 89:13). Along this mountain the boundary line between 
Issachar and Zebulon extended from southwest to northeast 
(Jos. 19:12-22). Tabor is mentioned six times in the Old Testa- 
ment, but not in the New. Gideon asked what kind of men they 
were, whom they killed on Tabor, and they answered: "They 
were all like you, each one looked as a king's son" (Jud. 8-18). 
Hosea, the prophet among the ten tribes, cried out to this people, 
because they had fallen away from their God : ' ' Hear ye this, O 
priests ; and harken, ye house of Israel ; and give ye ear, house 
of the king ; for judgment is towards you, because ye have been 
a snare on Mizpah, and a net spread upon Tabor" (Hos. 5:1). 
The prophet has reference to the idolatry which Jeroboam in- 
stituted in the kingdom of the ten tribes at Bethel and Dan 



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(I Kings 12:32). Prom this statement it becomes clear that 
idolatry was practiced even upon Mount Tabor. In his prophecy 
concerning Egypt, Jeremiah says: "As I live, saith the King 
whose name is the Lord of Hosts, Surely as Tabor is among the 
mountains, and as Carmel by the sea, so shall he come" (Jer. 
48:18). 

We are familiar with the fact that not only the Jews, but 
other Oriental peoples, built fortresses on mountain tops, so 
that they might be able to defend themselves better against the 
attacks of enemies. For this reason it is very likely that a town 
was built here on the top of this mountain. But we have no 
information about a town here before 218 B. C. Josephus re- 
lates that he built walls on the top of Tabor. This work lasted 
forty days. He also speaks of the people that lived there in his 
day, or about 67 A. D. Vespasian conquered them, since they 
could not hold out very long, as there was no water except cistern 
water. Other water must be brought up from the plain (Jud. 
Bell. 2:20:6:4:1:8). On the top, which is somewhat cut off, 
are quite a few ruins from Roman times, and also from the 
time of the Crusades. The Latin Christians have an altar there, 
at which their priests say mass every year. The Greeks also 
have an altar, and have religious exercises there on certain 
occasions. 

Mount Tabor has become renowned by the legend that the 
transfiguration of Christ took place here. This is said to be 
the "holy mount" which the Apostle Peter speaks about 
(II Pet. 1:18). Some of the early church fathers believed that 
Tabor was the Mount of Transfiguration, and among them we 
have Augustine, who speaks about the "Saviour's tents on 
Tabor." But there are so many and binding evidences against 
this mount being the Mount of Transfiguration that we shall 
have to give up this idea and seek it elsewhere. According to 



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the New Testament there are strong reasons to believe that the 
Mount of Transfiguration is Hermon. The only thing that 
speaks in favor of Tabor is a tradition from a very late date, 
and this is by no means unanimous. 

We rode over Jezreel towards the southwest side of the 
mountain and passed by the Beduins who had put up their tents 
there. We hurried the best we knew how, and came by them 
without any trouble. As we draw near the hills of Nazareth, 
we notice to the right of us a little village called Deburieh. This 
is the old Daberath (Jos. 19:12; 21:28), a Levite city, not far 
from the boundary line of Zebulon and Issachar. 

When Rameses II came through these regions about 1325 
B. C, he captured several cities in this part of the country, and 
among them Dapur is mentioned and another one, Shalama. 
Dapur is now Daberath, and Shalama is now Solam, or Shunem. 
Daburieh is now a little Arab village of no significance. Riding 
to the south of this place, we continued until we came to the foot 
of the Hills of Nazareth. Right there is a village called Iksal, 
the old Kesulloth, or Chisloth-Tabor (Jos. 19:12, 18). Near 
this place is a part of an old caravan road. This is, no doubt, 
the old main road that the Egyptians followed, when they made 
their warlike expeditions to Assyria and Babylon. When the 
Assyrians and the Babylonians went down to Egypt, they came 
along the same road. Here is the old • ' Via Maris, " as it was 
designated during the Middle Ages, or as it is called in the Book 
of Isaiah, ' 'the way of the sea" (Is. 9 :1) . Think of the caravans 
that have passed by here along this plain and by this ridge! 
Here the armies of Egypt have marched along to the Euphrates, 
and from the Euphrates to the Nile. Palestine has been likened 
unto a bridge between two worlds, and this illustration is very 
striking, because through this country thousands upon thousands 
have gone to foreign lands, carrying merchandise or marching 

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along as warriors with weapons in their hands, and with gar- 
ments rolled in blood. Let us not forget that the soil of Palestine 
has been drenched in blood time and again. 

We are now passing through Iksal, a very rickety little 
village. The houses are made of sunburnt clay, and everything 
looks dilapidated. As we rode along a very dingy street, children 
and women came out of their huts and looked with astonishment 
at the strangers. Here I observed how the women sat by the 
mill, grinding grain of some kind. The poor people looked 
very miserable. At last we are at the foot of the mountain, or 
ridge. Here we stopped awhile and beheld the surroundings 
and the village particularly. Then we began our wanderings 
along the steep hillsides. The road winds along the side of the 
ridge in a zigzag manner, and is so steep that we cannot ride, 
but are obliged to dismount and lead our horses. At last we 
came upon the top of the mountain, and had a most excellent 
view of southern Galilee. 

Think of the battles that have been fought on this plain, 
below us towards the east and southeast ! We have alluded to 
the battlefield of Gideon and Barak. Here we must remind our- 
selves of the battle fought by Napoleon, who won a complete 
victory over his opponents, who led a larger army into the 
battle than he did. When Napoleon I had conquered Egypt, 
he went up to Palestine and captured Gaza and Jaffa, and in- 
tended to capture Acre, but did not succeed. That very year 
he won a complete victory over the Turks on this plain of J ezreel. 
The engagement is called the ' ' Battle of Tabor, ' ' and was fought 
the 10th of April, 1799. An officer marched down from the 
hills of Nazareth to attack the enemy with an army of only 3,000 
soldiers. The enemy numbered 15,000 infantry and 12,000 cav- 
alry, but nevertheless this officer drew up his army against them. 
The Turks rushed onward as a prairie fire over the plain, but 



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were met with a murderous fire near El-Fuleh. For six hours the 
little army held out against the superior forces of the Turks. 
Then Napoleon came with an army of 3,000 soldiers, and from 
that time the battle did not last long. He drove the Turks in 
wild flight over the plain. How peculiar that Napoleon should 
come to this ancient battleground and try his strength against 
the Turks! 

We stood a long time and looked intently at this most 
excellent view. There is Tabor to the east, Little Hermon to 
the southeast, and Gilboa a little farther on to the right. The 
mountains of Samaria form the boundary line to the south, 
and in the southwest Carmel protrudes its majestic ridge. I 
felt very tired after the day's travel, but this proved to be so 
interesting that I forgot all and tried to impress this Biblical 
view in my mind. From the pinnacle of the ridge we rode 
westward, crossing another ridge, and as soon as we had come 
up on the top we beheld Nazareth before us, quite near. The 
whole day I had seen it on the top of the mountain, but now I 
had come so near that I could view this childhood home of the 
Saviour at close range. We rode into the city from the south- 
east and saw some threshing floors outside of the town. Nazareth 
is located on a ridge, and faces to the southeast. This ridge 
extends from northeast to southwest, and is covered here and 
there with shrubs and some trees. 

It was on a Saturday that we came to this historic place. 
It was half past five o 'clock, and we therefore did not have time 
to see much of the town; and besides, I did not feel very well. 
We went to the northwestern part of Nazareth, left our horses 
in the keeping of Hammadi and registered at the Hotel Victoria. 
Here we remained over Sunday. From my window I had a 
splendid view of the surroundings, and rejoiced to behold those 
very views which the Saviour had looked at so many times. As 



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I was very tired, I went to bed rather early in the evening. 
The wife of the hotel-keeper informed me that the Syrian fever 
was playing havoc in Nazareth and Haifa, and added that she 
also had been quite sick. From her description of the fever I 
drew the conclusion that I had that sickness also, and I soon 
found out that dbu rukeb was not to be played with. 

I could hardly comprehend that I was in Nazareth, and 
while I awoke in the night, I wondered if it was true that I was 
in the place, "where He had been brought up" (Luke 4: 16). 
During the night I did not sleep well. This fever makes itself 
manifest by a severe itch and then certain pimples on the body. 
Sunday I had to stay at the hotel all forenoon. At eleven o 'clock 
a missionary, the Rev. Mr. Carpenter, called on me. He spoke 
of his work and of its difficulty here in Syria. The field in 
Nazareth is very hard and requires a great deal of patience. 
That was the experience of the Saviour in His days. Many of 
the Mohammedans are very kind and courteous, but they are 
the most difficult to be won for the kingdom of Christ. He said 
that the strongest opponents to the G-ospel are often won for 
Christ's kingdom, while those who are so very kind and give 
their assent do not accept the invitation and become saved. Chris- 
tianity in Palestine is on a very low level, said the Rev. Mr. 
Carpenter, and he spoke the truth, as far as I had been able to 
find out. The Church of England is working very diligently in 
various parts of Palestine, and the work has not been in vain. 
It is well known that all Turkish countries are very hard fields 
for the Christian missionaries. The heathenism, which we call 
Mohammedanism, is very hard to conquer for Christ and His 
kingdom, and yet it might be that our Christian heathenism is 
still worse. 

We are in Nazareth, the childhood home of Jesus, or as the 
Arabs call it, En-Nasira. Here are about 11,000 inhabitants, of 



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whom only 2,000 are Mohammedans, the rest are Christians. 
Of- these, two-thirds are orthodox Greeks, a third is Latin, Moron- 
ites, United Greeks, and Protestants. The people of Nazareth 
do not permit Jews to live within the boundary lines of the 
city. The people here, who are known to be rather quarrelsome, 
are engaged in agriculture, commerce and other industries. The 
women of Nazareth are known for their beauty. This I had 
occasion to observe at the well of Mary, near by our hotel. Naz- 
areth is divided into three parts. The Latins live in the south- 
western part, the Greeks in the northern and northeastern, and 
the Mohammedans in the eastern part. As you observe Nazareth 
from the plain of Jezreel, you notice a great many white houses. 
Nazareth is surrounded with a certain glory; it is one of those 
quiet places, towards which the soul is longing, so as to have 
a chance to meditate and pray. 

This place is not spoken of in the Old Testament. It is 
through Christ that Nazareth has won distinction. The Evan- 
gelist Luke informs us, "That the angel Gabriel was sent from 
God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused 
to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and 
the virgin's name was Mary" (Luke 1:26-27). Then came the 
mandate from the Emperor Csesar Augustus that all the world 
should be taxed, every one in his own city, and Joseph went up 
from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the 
city of David, which is called Bethlehem (Luke 2:1-4). This 
done, they returned to Nazareth to dwell there. In this way 
the prophecy was fulfilled, which says that he shall be called 
Nazarene (Matt. 2:21-2,3). This place must have been very 
insignificant, inasmuch as Nathaniel asked Philip: "Can there 
any good thing come out of Nazareth?" (John 1:46). Here the 
great Teacher spent His childhood days, separated from the 

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noise and tumult of the world, helping his father in his occupa- 
tion as a carpenter. 

At twelve years of age he was permitted, according to the 
Mosaic law, to follow his parents to the feast of Passover at 
Jerusalem. His experience in the temple we remember from 
the Gospel story. He went along with His parents to "Nazareth 
and was subject unto them, and He increased in wisdom, and 
age, and in favor with God and man" (Luke 2:51-52). Here in 
the humble home of his parents He was brought up for His great 
mission. It seems rather strange that He should spend so long 
a time in this secluded part of the land, before He appeared 
before the world. But even in this His example is of the great- 
est significance to us. Here He spent thirty years of His life, 
before He came before Israel with His great message. In our 
days some go at it quite differently, when children, moved by 
the Spirit, go forth to teach and preach. It is not easy to har- 
monize such procedures with the example of the Master. Paul 
has given us a wholesome rule to follow, when he says: "Not a 
novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemna- 
tion of the devil" (I Tim. 3:6). If there is anyone who needs 
to be prepared for his profession, it is the messenger of the Lord 
Jesus Christ. When the Saviour was about thirty years old, he 
came from Nazareth and was baptized by John in the Jordan 
(Matt. 3 :13) . After His baptism he returned to Cana in Galilee, 
and attended the marriage feast (John 21:11). At Passover 
He paid a visit to Jerusalem and cleansed the temple, where- 
upon he returned to Galilee through Samaria, and at the well 
of Jacob spoke to the woman of Samaria. Proceeding northward 
He came to Nazareth, and went into the synagogue and stood 
up to read. At this time he delivered His sermon on Isaiah 
61:1, and applied these words upon Himself and said: "This 
day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears" (Luke 4:21). Be- 



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cause of this sermon they drove Him out of the synagogue, and 
out of their city, and led Him to the brow of the hill whereon 
their city was built, that they might cast Him down headlong. 
The inhabitants of Nazareth could not stand the truth, and tried 
to get rid of such a witness. Christ now moved to Capernaum, 
and after this it is called "His own city" (Matt. 9:1). After 
some time He returned to Nazareth, and spoke in the synagogue, 
and many were astonished at His teachings and said: "From 
whence hath this man these things ? And what wisdom is this 
which is given unto Him that even such mighty works are 
wrought by His hands ? 9 ' But after awhile they remember that 
He was the carpenter, the son of Mary, and take offence at His 
humble ancestry. Jesus marveled because of their unbelief. 

Jesus is often called the Nazarene. Furthermore, it was in 
the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene that the Apostles per- 
formed their miracles (Acts 4:10). On the cross Pilate wrote, 
' ' Jesus of Nazareth, king of the J ews, ' ' and when Saul of Tarsus, 
trembling, fell to the ground outside of Damascus, and asked: 
"Who art thou, Lord?" the Lord answered and said: "I am 
Jesus of Nazareth whom thou persecutest. " Nazarene was a 
nickname, given to Him by His enemies, and His followers were 
called Nazarenes. God has chosen the foolish things of the world 
to confound the wise (I Cor. 1:27). 

It would seem that Joseph was dead at the time when Jesus 
was crucified. The mother of Jesus did not return to Nazareth, 
but remained with the Apostle John (John 19:27). She is sup- 
posed to have died at the home of John in the year 48. The 
brethren of Jesus also, as it seems, left Nazareth. To begin with, 
they did not believe in Him (John 7:5), but afterwards they 
received the doctrines of Jesus (Acts 1 :14) . From church history 
we learn that Christians were not permitted to live in Nazareth 
before the time of Constantino. Several churches are mentioned 



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in this city — the church father, Hierome, speaks of the Church of 
Annunciation, and another church, built on the place where 
Jesus was brought up. 

In 1187 Saladin captured Nazareth. The Mameluk Sultan 
devastated it entirely, and no one lived there in 1263. The city 
became uninhabited till 1620. The Franciscan monks were 
then permitted to erect the Church of Anunciation, but it was 
not complete until 110 years afterwards. 

During the last century Nazareth has been visited by a 
throng of pilgrims, and they are on the increase. I felt thank- 
ful that I was permitted to see this place, and having been in 
this city about a day and a night, I must try to go out to see 
the historic places. We visited the church of Annunciation. 
This temple is located in the middle of the town, and is sup- 
posed to be erected on the spot where the angel greeted the 
Virgin Mary with these words, "Hail, thou that art highly 
favored, the Lord is with thee : blessed art thou among 
women." (Luke 1: 28.) Along the walls of the church are 
carpets, in which illustrations from the life of Christ are em- 
broidered. Below the altar is the Grotto of Annunciation. On 
a marble stair we come down to the Angel Chapel, where we 
find two altars. The one is dedicated to the honor of Jehoiakim, 
the father of Virgin Mary. The other altar is hallowed to the 
honor of Gabriel. From this chapel we go down into another, 
and here we find two pillars. At one of these the angel is said 
to have stood when he came with the greeting to Mary, and 
hence this pillar is called the Pillar of Gabriel. The other is 
called the Pillar of Mary. Right opposite the entrance is an 
altar, on which these words are written, "Hie verbum caro fac- 
tum est," i. e. "Here the word became flesh." The walls in 
this chapel are covered with marble. 



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The early tradition is to this effect that the house of the 
Virgin Mary stood on this very spot. The Empress Helena is 
said to have discovered the house of the Virgin and built a 
church on this spot. When Palestine was captured by the 
Moslems 1291, the house of the Virgin Mary was carried, the 
10th of May, to Raunitza in Dalmatia and, three and a half 
years later, the 9th of September, 1294, to Loretto, in the 
neighbourhood of Recanati in Italy, where it is now found un- 
der the designation, "Casa Santa," and hosts of Catholics make 
pilgrimages to this place annually. This is nothing but a monk 
legend, pure and simple. 

To the right of the altar in the Annunciation church is 
Joseph's chapel. Behind the church, in the neighbourhood of 
this chapel, is the kitchen of the Virgin Mary. The monk 
who showed us around in this church, said, "This was no 
kitchen; it is only so called." Of the house of the Virgin Mary 
there are only two pillars left, and they are the ones which 
are in the Annunciation Chapel. 

From this church we walked to the shop of Joseph, a little 
to the northeast from the church, and in the Mohammedan 
quarter. Even this shop belongs to the Latins. This place is 
surrounded by a wall. A chapel in the neighbourhood, which 
was then used temporarily, was also visited by us. In this 
little church we were shown a painting, portraying Christ 
helping His father as a carpenter. From here we went to the 
Armenian church. This is supposed to be located on the very 
spot where the synagogue was located in which Jesus spoke to 
the citizens of Nazareth. From this synagogue He was driven 
out, and brought to the edge of the mountain, on which their 
city was built. Now the question is, Where is this precipice 
located? Not far from the church of the Maronites is a very 
steep cliff. This cliff must have been still higher two 

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thousand years ago, because during the course of ages a lot of 
rubbish and sand must have filled in the place below this rock. 
But the place is within the city at this time, and the Scriptures 
say that they drove him out of the city. In all likelihood the 
city did not extend so far as it does now, and this cliff at that 
time, therefore, was located outside of the city. That is what 
the Greeks believe. The Roman Catholics cling to another 
tradition. According to this the right place is to be found an 
hour's journey to the southeast of the city. This hill, or brow 
of the hill, is visible at Nazareth, and to the right of this hill is 
a valley that leads down into the plain of Jezreel. The Roman 
place has not much evidence in its favor. But be this place 
where it may ! This action on the part of the people of Naza- 
reth is an evidence against them, and shall continue to speak 
during coming ages of their enmity and bitterness against their 
greatest Son. As we came back to the hotel, we heard a noise 
and saw a gathering of people down the street. In the midst 
of this gathering we saw a veiled woman, led by some maidens. 
This woman was a bride, just married, and on the way to her 
future home. This group of women was followed by a band of 
men and women, who were singing and beating the drum. It 
was a very happy throng. Here and there along the streets 
their friends came out with soft drinks, which her maidens 
gave her of which they themselves also tasted. Mr. Aboosh 
and I followed along, and came to the home of the couple on 
the hillside, at the end of a street. When she came to the house, 
she took a piece of dough, and put it on the upper doorpost. 
In this way she wished to preserve herself and her husband 
from evil tongues, and make sure that her home would be a 
happy one. After a little while we heard a noise down the 
street, and went down to meet the throng. And behold, there 
comes the bridegroom, accompanied by a great crowd with 



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swords and staves. They do this to assure him that they will 
stand him by in his future life as his friends. To me it did not 
look very friendly to see them swing their swords and scream 
at the top of their voices. When the bridegroom came, he was 
expected by the bride and the crowd that followed her. I then 
thought of the words of the Saviour, "Behold the bridegroom 
cometh, go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose 
and trimmed their lamps." (Matt. 25: 6-7.) This event gave 
me a little insight into the home life of the Orient of today, 
and I valued this experience very much. They are real hours 
of joy to these children of nature. Without doubt the Saviour, 
as He walked along these streets, saw such events many a time ; 
and the Master in His childhood days would often come along 
and partake in the doings of His people. He was present at 
the marriage feast of Cana, blessed those present by His pres- 
ence, and changed water into wine. 

Having seen all this, I felt very tired, and returned to the 
hotel to rest. In the evening I went to take supper with Rev. 
Carpenter, and I spent the evening in his home. It is very 
refreshing to meet with such sanctified characters. A splendid 
family. We spoke of the mission work in Nazareth and he said 
again that it is a hard field. But he had seen some progress 
and this kept up his courage. Having returned to the hotel, I 
went to bed, but my sickness kept me awake a great deal of 
the night. But the very thought that I was in Nazareth gave 
me so very much comfort that the night did not seem long. 
Now the question was, whether I should dare to continue my 
journey in the morning or not. At 8 o'clock I went out to ob- 
serve the life at Mary's fountain. My hotel is near by, and I 
had passed by this well many times. The well is on the east 
side of the street, and the water is brought here through a 
subterranean duct at a little distance in the hillside. A 



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church is built over this well. It is called Gabriel's Church, 
and is owned by the Greeks, who believe that the angel Gabriel 
revealed himself to the Virgin Mary at this well. From the 
tower of this church I had occasion to listen to the most 
peculiar chime that I had ever heard. This is the only fountain 
in Nazareth, and, no doubt, the Virgin Mary had come many 
a time to fetch water for her home, just as the women of 
Nazareth are doing now. At the well I stood a long time, 
watching them, as they were talking and laughing, while they 
were filling their jars with water. To this spring Christ and 
His mother came and He, perhaps, brought home many jars 
filled with fresh water. Think of the opportunity of seeing 
Him here by the fountain ! The very fact that He had walked 
along these hills and in the valley below has thrown a glory 
over the place that shall never pass away. It was great to be 
permitted to stand at the well and to drink of its flowing 
streams, but it is greater to have His word, the living water, 
and it will be still more glorious to see Him as He is, in the 
mansions above. Although my sickness somewhat hindered 
me from enjoying my visit in the childhood hometown of Jesus, 
still I found this one of the most interesting places in Palestine. 
There was a certain stillness and sweet Sabbath rest in and 
around the city among the hills of Galilee, and my spirit was 
drawn with a mysterious power to Him, who through His so- 
journ here has made Nazareth a memory for ever. Memor- 
able place, hallowed by the residence of the Godman, thou hast 
a glory which will at all times stand forth for the Christian 
soul ! My visit was altogether too short, only two nights and a 
little more than a day, but I received memories here which shall 
be with me as long as I am in the land of the living. 

September 27th in the morning we continued our journey. 
At first I wondered whether I would be able to continue my 



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travel through the northern part of Galilee. The Lord 
strengthened me, however, and I could continue without much 
difficulty. At nine o'clock in the morning our "mule-boy" 
brought our horses to the hotel and we went away. We passed 
by Mary's fountain to the right and Gabriel's church to the 
left. My dragoman told me, while riding by, that they had a 
lawsuit regarding the well. Two persons owned their various 
.pieces of land, side by side, above the spring. They found that 
the original spring was on the land of one and then passed 
through the land of the other, right near the boundary line, 
and the question was this: To whom does the fountain belong? 
This water has thus become a "water of contention" (Ex. 17: 
7). We followed the street leading by the home of the mis- 
sionary Carpenter, and ascended the hills to the north of Naza- 
reth, and came at last to a top in order to take a good final look 
at the birthplace of Jesus. And truly nature has lavished with 
a liberal hand on the surroundings of this location. We are on 
the way northward, and I would never have a chance to see 
this panorama again at such a near range, and for this reason I 
found it difficult to tear myself lose from this place. Down in 
the valley and up on these hills His holy feet have walked 
around, and here He grew up a Saviour and Redeemer for the 
whole human race. Here He also helped his foster father in 
his work as a carpenter. Here, then, He went about, tending 
faithfully to His work, until He was called to appear before 
Israel. How wonderful is this Son of man ! What an example 
did He not give in everything! Let me see Him by the car- 
penter's bench and every honest calling will be sanctified for 
me ; let me see Him grow up under the kind and guiding hand 
of His parents, and the youthful days in the home will have a 
special meaning for me. The glory of Christ in His private life 
presented itself vividly here in His birthplace; and as I was 



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meditating on these things on the ridge above Nazareth, I could 
scarcely leave this historic and memorable location. Here on 
the hill, you will notice various institutions of mercy, built 
by a merciful Christian world, instigated by His love. 

But let us continue. We cannot stop any longer. Our 
road led us in a northeasterly direction. Over this pathway 
the Lord wandered many a time, and I cannot describe how I 
felt as I was riding along the hills and through the valleys. 
After half an hour's ride we came to a village, called Er-Rene. 
To the right of the road was the well Ain-Cana. A little 
before ten o'clock we saw a little village on a hill to the north- 
west, called Medjed. This is the old Gath-Hepher, the home- 
jtown of Jonah (II Kings 14: 25). According to Jewish and 
Christian tradition the prophet is buried here. Jonah was thus 
from Galilee. The learned Scribes and the Pharisees in Jeru- 
salem forgot this when they, at the suggestion of Nicodemus 
}that it was proper to find out what Christ had done, answered, 
"Art thou also of Galilee? Search, and look: for out of Galilee 
ariseth no prophet." (John 7: 52.) The learned also make 
mistakes. 

From here we have to ride half an hour, and then we are 
at Kafr Kenna. Here is, according to ecclesiastical tradition, 
the Cana of Galilee, where Christ changed water into wine. 
The valley which surrounds it is covered with beautiful or- 
chards, and to the southwest from the village is a spring. We 
went there, and our horses drank with contentment from the 
fresh water. A number of Arabs stood by and watered their 
flocks and camels. 

John the Evangelist informs us that Christ was here 
twice, and he was, no doubt, here many times, because Cana is 
only four and a half miles distant from Nazareth. Those who 
like to make use of beverages, have contended that it is not 



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wrong to use wine, because Christ changed water into wine. 
But we remember that Christ said at one time, "And take heed 
to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with 
surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that 
day come upon you unawares" (Luke 21: 34). The wine used 
in Palestine for ordinary purposes is not of the same kind as is 
used in this and other countries. It is not fermented to such 
a degree. Furthermore, the very fact that the Lord was pres- 
ent at the marriage is a guarantee that they did not use the 
wine to such an extent that they became drunk. Under no cir- 
cumstances would He contribute to anything of the kind. On 
another occasion when Jesus was here in Cana, a certain noble- 
man, whose son was sick, came to Him from Capernaum. This 
nobleman was in the service of Herod Antipas, and had heard 
that Jesus had come back from Judea into Galilee. When he 
asked Him to come down, for his son was on the point of death, 
Christ said to him, "Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will 
not believe." Then the nobleman joined in, "Sir, come down, 
ere my child die, ' ' and then Christ said, ' ' Go thy way ; thy son 
liveth" (John 4: 46-53). And he believed and went home to 
find his son well again. The nobleman and his whole house 
believed in Christ, as a result of this experience. 

We rode into the village at the western end and reached 
the place, where Christ is said to have changed the water into 
wine. The Franciscans have a convent here and nearby is a 
church, which is supposed to be built on the spot where Jesus 
performed His miracle. Nearby is a Latin chapel and they also 
contend that it is built on the place where the miracle was 
done. 

We did not stop very long in Cana, but went right on in a 
northeasterly direction. Just as we came out of the town, we 
were met by some Christian women, who placed some crochet 



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work on the saddle, and insisted that I should buy some. I did 
so and then they wished me to buy more. 

"Within about twenty minutes we came into a long wide 
valley. Here we had a good view of Carmel, Tabor, and the 
mountains in northern Galilee. We saw villages here and 
there on the mountain ridges, and we met some teams and car- 
riages going back and forth. It was very desolate among these 
mountains and valleys. We sat down in a valley under some 
vfruit trees to eat our dinner, which we had brought along with 
us from Nazareth. Even now I was very weak, but had reason 
to thank the Lord that He had permitted me to go so far on my 
way. About two o'clock we continued our travel. From the 
place where we had rested, there is a road leading down to 
Tiberias. We sent Hammadi directly down and with my drag- 
oman I went to Kurun Hattin, or the "Mount of Beatitudes." 
We arrived there at 2 :45 P. M. It was a very difficult job to 
J ascend this ridge, because there were piles of stones obstructing 
the way. This hill is about 100 feet above the surrounding 
land, 1,000 feet above the Sea of Gennesaret, and about 500 feet 
above the level of the Mediterranean Sea. We dismounted 
from our horses and led them up on the ridge. This looks just 
like a camel's back at a distance. Here we have a most excel- 
lent view of the northern part of Galilee, and no wonder that I 
was hurrying up with a beating heart. I shall never forget the 
view that met my eyes. I stood speechless for a long time at 
this most interesting and historic panorama. There are Tabor 
and Carmel towards the south; towards the southeast the 
mountains of Gilead heave their majestic mass skyward, and it 
is like a world in itself to behold this charming mountain range 
beyond the Jordan; look down into the Jordan valley and there 
you see that historic river like a crooked snake winding down 
its hollow ; just to the east of us is that sea, of which we have 



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read so much from our childhood days, and along the shores we 
observe the ruins of Capernaum, Bethsaida, Magdala, and many 
other places. Down through the Dove valley we see the plain 
of Gennesaret, on the other side of the sea we have Gamala and 
Gadara, and in the northeast Safed rests on the hill, so clearly 
in view. Further on towards the northeast in the background 
Mount Hermon raises its snowwhite head towards the blue and 
clear sky. Think of the events that have taken place within 
the limits of the horizon from this very place. Down there is 
the smiling sea of Tiberias and on its rippled surface there are 
some sails, filled by the afternoon breezes. Tiberias is close by 
the shore right to the east of us and hidden underneath a hill. 
Here I sat down on a stone to read the Sermon on the Mount. 
Meanwhile my dragoman lay down to sleep on another stone, 
and our poor horses were moving around to eat whatever they 
could find between the stones. I had never read this, the most 
excellent sermon delivered on earth, with such commentaries as 
here. And yet I could not believe for a moment that the 
Saviour delivered this sermon on this ridge. But that did not 
disturb me in the least ; the main thing was the locality and the 
wonderful surroundings. This was the best commentary for 
me at this time. I sat there for a long time reading and this 
was one of the happiest hours of my Palestine journey. I en- 
deavored to impress this wonderful view in my mind, and if I 
close my eyes now, I can see the views around this historic 
sea and its surroundings. 

We descended from the mountain or Kurun Hattin (Hat- 
tin's Horn) on the southeast side, and went down the hillsides 
to Tiberias. In doing so, we crossed the plain, which leans 
quite a good deal towards the east, and which was the battlefield 
of the powerful Saladin and the army of the Crusaders, led by 
the weak king of Jerusalem in 1187. This battle was fought 

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here. This king, Guy de Lusignan, time and again manifested 
that he was unworthy of his calling. His whole army was al- 
most annihilated. The Christian army fought bravely, but had 
to give in to the superior power. The king withdrew to the 
top and here he was cut down by Saladin himself, because he 
had been on the point of killing the mother of Saladin in the 
neighbourhood of the Jordan. The Knights, who partook in 
this battle, were sold as slaves, and the greater part of the army 
was killed outright. This was a decisive battle and ended the 
power of the Crusaders in Palestine. The report was that the 
Christians had brought the cross of the Saviour along in the 
battle, that cross which the Empress Helena is supposed to have 
found in Jerusalem 326. 

On this leaning plain thousands of soldiers found their 
graves and still their bones are being turned up by the fella- 
heen, when they plow their fields here. A little to the east of 
this plain we saw a number of Beduin tents. Their cattle were 
grazing around the tents, but they themselves kept inside so as 
to hide themselves from the rays of the sun. We passed right 
by them, but they did us no harm. We went back and forth in 
a zigzag way down the slopes towards Tiberias. Soon we saw 
the city of Tiberias. Just as we drew near, we saw a wagon 
from the city, drawn by two horses. It was rather a surprise 
to see this vehicle in that country. We reached the city at five 
o'clock in the afternoon. Here we put up at the hotel Tiberias. 
I am at the shores of the sea of Galilee once more, and I rejoice 
to be here. 



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Chapter XVI 



AT THE SEA OF GALILEE 

A S soon as we had a little rest, we went down to the shore 
f\ in the neighborhood of a round tower in the northeast- 
ern part of the city to bathe. We received permission from 
the Scotch missionary to nse his bathing place, and here we 
spent a most delightful time. I rolled around in the warm 
water of Tiberias like a wild boy, and I could hardly realize 
that I was swimming in the water of Gennesaret. A greater 
part of the day I had been riding under the burning sun of 
Syria, it was a most excellent recreation to cool off in the bil- 
lows of Tiberias. 

The city of Tiberias was founded in the year 14 of our era 
by Herod Antipas. This town is located on the west side of the 
sea, and at an equal distance from each end, and about half an 
hour 's walk north of Hamath or the warm springs. The Tet- 
rarch, Herod Antipas, who lived at Sephoris at first, moved to 
this place, which he called Tiberias in honor of the Emperor 
Tiberius. Now this became the capital city but the Jews did 
not wish to move into this place, because where the town was 
located, there was a cemetery, and they considered it to be at 
variance with the Jewish law to come in touch with dead bodies 
and graves. JoSephus informs us that King Herod built 
houses with his own money, and gave the people lots on the 
condition that they would move into this place. A great many 
graves were moved away, and in this way they prepared a place 
for the city. From this information it becomes evident that 

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Tiberias was located on a new place, and not on an old site, as 
some have contended. In the New Testament this place is 
mentioned three times. " Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, 
which is the sea of Tiberias," and on the other side of this sea, 
in the wilderness towards the northeast of the same, he fed 
five thousand men (John 6: 1-13). From Tiberias other boats 
had come near by the place, where they did eat of the bread 
(John 6 : 23), and the Apostle John relates that Christ revealed 
Himself after His resurrection at the sea of Tiberias (John 21 : 1) . 

Josephus informs us that King Herod had here an income 
of 200 talents annually, and we know that Herod's steward, 
Chuza, the husband of Johanna, lived at Tiberias. 

This king lived a very immoral life. Josephus relates that 
Herod feared the great influence of J ohn, and for this reason he 
put him in prison and there took his life (Jos. Hist. 18: 5: 2). 

"When Jesus of Nazareth came in this vicinity, Herod ob- 
served with anxiety His growing influence among the people. 
Some of the Pharisees came to Jesus and asked Him to depart 
from this part of Galilee, because Herod planned to kill Him. 
Then Jesus answered, "Go ye and tell that fox, Behold I cast 
out devils, and I do cures today and tomorrow, and the third 
day I shall be perfected" (Luke 13: 32). Herod wished to 
have Jesus leave this vicinity, and told Him this through the 
Pharisees, but Christ perceived his cunningness and hence He 
called him a "fox". 

Now the question is this, was John the Baptist beheaded 
here at Tiberias or at Machaerus? From the story in the gos- 
pel it seems to be clear that this event took place at the last 
named place, because there it was, no doubt, that Salome 
danced before the company, and there he was immediately be- 
headed, and his head was brought forth on a charger. King 

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Herod Antipas was, no doubt, in Machaerus because of the 
preparations for the war that had been declared. According 
to Josephus, John was beheaded at Machaerus. This king, 
Herod Antipas, was afterwards banished to Lyons in Gaul in 
the year 39. The Emperor Caligula wished to show mercy 
towards Herodias for her husband's sake, but she answered 
that she wished to share the evil as well as the good day with 
him. She followed him afterwards to Spain where she died. 
King Agrippa and the other governors selected Tiberias as the 
capital of Galilee and Perasa. When the Romans in the year 
66 began the war against the Jews, this city was one of the 
largest in the country. The people in Tiberias joined them- 
selves to Josephus, but they soon fell away from him and joined 
the Romans. Josephus, who at the time was at Tarichaea,, a 
city at the southern end of Tiberias, gathered all the boats he 
could find in the sea — 230 in all — and went to Tiberias. When 
the inhabitants saw him, they laid down their weapons and 
begged for mercy. In this town Emperor Vespasian later 
killed the prisoners of war that had been shut up in the arena. 

Contrary to his promise and assurance he killed some and 
sold the rest of the 37,000 prisoners as slaves. Here the Syne- 
drium met, after a temporary residence in Jabniel, or Jamnia, 
a town on the Mediterranean in Philistea. Prom this place 
they moved to Sephoris in Perasa in 163 and 30 years later to 
Tiberias. Here a very prominent Rabbinical school, which 
exercised a great influence in the Jewish world, was estab- 
lished. After the destruction of Jerusalem Tiberias became 
the centre for Judaism, and here Jewish science flourished. 
Here the Talmud saw the light. 

Here in Tiberias the Massoretic punctuation of the Old 
Testament text was made in the sixth and seventh centuries. 
It is known that the Hebrew alphabet does not have any 

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vowels, but only consonants. The Massorets placed the vowels 
under the consonants in the text and added the accent. These 
Rabbis went through the Hebrew text and established the 
pronounciation according to the tradition among the Rabbis. 
This is the pronounciation that is used by the Jews and 
Christians in the study of the Hebrew Bible. At the time 
when this was done by the Rabbis, the Hebrew language had 
been dead for centuries, and these men have rendered a great 
service to the world in this respect. 

Christianity came to Tiberias rather late. This happened 
during the time of Constantine the Great. Here a bishopric 
was established and its Bishop Johannes attended the meetings 
at Ephesus in 449 and at Chalcedon in 451. The king of Persia, 
Chosroes, raptured Tiberias in 614, and then Caliph Omar in 
637. In 1837 the whole vicinity was severely shaken by an 
earthquake and 700 people were killed. At that time the walls 
tumbled over and only certain parts of them are now standing. 
On the west side the wall is best preserved, and here a gate is 
located. We rode in through it. The Jews consider Tiberias 
as one of their Holy Cities; the others are Safed, Hebron, and 
Jerusalem. In a certain sense Tiberias stands first, because 
the Jews think that Messiah, according to the prophecy in 
Isaiah 9: 1-2, shall reveal himself first at this place. By 
prayers the arrival of their Messiah can be hastened, and the 
prayers in Tiberias are especially effective. This city is now 
called Tubarje and has about 5,000 inhabitants. Here is a 
seat for a Kaimakam. Of the inhabitants 2,800 are Jews, 1,000 
are Mohammedans, and 250 are Christians. Tiberias is located 
on a plain, which leans towards the sea and is surrounded by 
hills. Along the slope to the west of the town we saw a num- 
ber of graves. The houses are built very close to each other 
and the streets are very dirty. The town is located 614 feet 



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below the level of the Mediterranean sea, and in the summer 
time it is fearfully hot here. Within the city are some palm 
trees and this gives the place a picturesque appearance. Be- 
cause of the uncleanliness, fleas and other creeping insects 
thrive in this place, and it is supposed that the king of the 
fleas lives in Tiberias. The most beautiful buildings in the 
town belong to the Scotch Mission. Here we met the Mission- 
ary, Dr. Thorrence. He has labored faithfully here for many 
years. He was very kind and helpful in many ways, and told 
me that the field is very hard and downtrodden. Near our 
hotel, Tiberias, on the north side, is a fort. Every evening the 
Mohammedans fire several cannon shots, whereupon the muez- 
zin in the minarets exhort the Mohammedans to prayer. Close 
to the hotel is a Latin cloister, and near this is the place where 
jPeter caught such an abundance of fish (John 21). My visit at 
{Tiberias was very interesting, and I felt very much refreshed, 
although I was not free from my abu-rukeb. 

We spent several days near the sea at this place. It is 
called Gennesaret or the sea of Galilee. In the Old Testament 
this sea is called Chinneret, perhaps for the reason that it has 
the form of a harp, which in Hebrew is called chinnor. Its 
length from north to south is 13 miles, and its width from east 
to west is somewhat less than 7 miles. It is about 150 feet 
deep, and the water is very clear. On the east side the moun- 
tains rise to the height of 2,000 feet. There is the ancient 
Gaulanitis, the plateau of Bashan. On the west side there are 
also mountains. On the south side the Semach plain extends 
along the Jordan and here it descends into the Ghor or cavity 
as the Arabs call this valley. On the northwest side is the 
plain of Gennesaret and towards the northeast is the plain of 
El-Ebtehah. The vicinity is very romantic, even if we find the 
sea, at first sight, surprisingly small, on account of the decep- 

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tion of the eye regarding distances. Towards the north Safed 
is perched on a mountain, 3,300 feet above the sea, and in the 
background rises the giant Hermon, at the northernmost 
boundary of Galilee, 9,600 feet high. The blue surface of the 
sea, the shores so full of memories, the smiling hills all around, 
whose sides echo the events of past days, the blue sky, and the 
mountains in the distance — all this reminds the tourist that he 
is at the shore of the sea of Galilee. And yet the shores are so 
desolate. Now it is not as Plinius said in his day concerning 
this sea, that "it is surrounded with delightful cities." We 
must not forget that in Galilee there were not less than 204 
cities or towns in olden times. 

If we now leave Tiberias, following the shore on the west 
side, walking south we come within half an hour to Hamath, 
or the Warm springs. They are situated quite near the shore, 
and there are three of them. The first of them is the Great 
bath and was built by Ibrahim Pasha 1833. The New bath was 
opened in 1890, and near by is the Old Southern bath. The 
water is sulphurous and is good for rheumatism, and diseases 
of the skin. On the west side of the sea were the following 
cities : Chorazin, Capernaum, Bethsaida, Magdala, Dalma- 
nutha, Tiberias, Hamath, and Tarichea. Of these Tiberias, 
Tarichea, and Hamath are left. The last mentioned are mis- 
erable villages with only a few inhabitants. On the east side 
of the sea were Bethsaida (Julias), Gamala, Gerasa, Hippos, 
and Gadara. Most of them are no longer in existence. Only 
ruins are left, and Beduins now feed their flocks and cattle, 
where thousands of people lived in the time of our Saviour. 

The sea afforded of old, and still offers, good fishing. We 
are reminded of this by such names as Bethsaida (fishhouse), 
Tarichea (fishcannery). The Jews found in this water both 
clean and unclean fishes. The parable, which the Lord uses in 



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Matthew (13: 47-48 ), points to this. About ten or twelve cities 
were located at the shores and boats were neecssary for com- 
munication. The boats were used, not only for fishing, but also 
for the transportation of passengers and trade. During my 
first evening in Tiberias I secured a boat and went out to fish, 
but at that time we received nothing. ^Ve brought along two 
Arabs to row and we went out quite a disance, but made no use 
of the sail. The billows rolled towards us from the northeast 
and our boat was thrown about on the waves. The further we 
rowed out, the larger the billows arose, and I wondered how 
they could have such power, especially as there seemed to be 
but very little wind. On this little sea storms arise very 
quickly, for the following reason : The sea is imbeded in a hol- 
low between the mountains, and during the day the air is 
warmed in this cavity. The warm air rises and the cold cur- 
rent from the mountains takes its place, hence a constant wind 
which stirs up the water a great deal, especially in the evening. 
This I had occasion to observe several times. Such a storm is 
spoken of in Matthew 8 : 24, when the billows went over the 
ship. 

It was a real pleasure to be out on the billows of Gen- 
nesaret. I felt as though I had been carried to another world, 
when I reminded myself of what has happened on and around 
this historic sea. Here on this lake the Master was walking, 
and on these shores He was standing or sitting, when He 
taught the multitudes that unparalled doctrine, which has been 
carried out in the world by thousands of faithful witnesses. 
No wonder I felt thankful to God, who had permitted me to 
behold those very hills and mountains that the Master looked 
upon and to take a boat ride on that very sea upon which the 
Saviour's feet have walked. No matter in what direction I 
might look I was certain that He had seen all this, and the 



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echoes of his words shall resound between these mountains 
and over this sea until time is no more. That excursion on the 
sea I shall never forget. Returning to the hotel, I went to bed 
quite early, because the journey from Nazareth to Tiberias had 
been quite strenuous. In the evening I observed how a group 
of Jews gathered around a heap of stones near the hotel. They 
gather together every evening for prayer. 

September 28th, in the morning, we began our journey 
northward. The road follows the shore, and in some places it 
is very poor. After awhile we come to a valley, which leads 
into the sea, and in the neighborhood are a spring, parts of an 
aqueduct, and some ruins. Here was once the city Dalma- 
nutha. This place is mentioned only in Mark 8 : 10. The Lord 
went through Decapolis, and on the other side of the sea He fed 
4,000 men. Returning, He came across to Dalmanutha. 
Matthew tells the same story, but he uses Magadan instead of 
Dalmanutha. In this valley shepherds led their flocks to pas- 
ture, and now and then we met Arabs, either riding or walking. 
On the other side of Dalmanutha the road leads over a hill, 
which projects to the shore, and a new road is cut out here in 
the ridge. In about one and a half hours from Tiberias we 
came to Wady Hamman or Pigeon valley, which extends to- 
wards the southwest from the sea to Kurun Hattin. Along 
this valley the road went up towards the southwest in former 
days. On the south side of this valley there are some very high 
cliffs with a great many caves in them. In these the Jews have 
found a sure refuge in times of war and persecution. Even 
robbers have tried to escape here the avenging arm of the law. 
At certain times fierce combats have taken place by these cliffs. 
It is claimed that six hundred persons kept themselves here at 
one time. It was not an easy matter to fight the robbers in 
these holes in the mountain, where they were very well pro- 



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tected and fortified. The cliffs are more than 1,000 feet high, 
and nearly perpendicular, and are now called Kulaet Ibn M'an, 
but formerly they were called Arbela, from the city which was 
situated on the top. The ruins are now called Irbid. The his- 
torian Josephus writes how Herod the Great fought the rob- 
bers, who during his time had taken refuge in these holes. 
This happened decades before Christ appeared in Galilee. The 
king came here with an army. He let down his men to the 
holes by means of baskets and boxes. By means of iron hooks, 
forks, fire-brands, and other means he endeavored to drive 
them out of their holes, but they did not wish to surrender. 
Some killed themselves rather than to deliver themselves to the 
soldiers of the king. Some of them threw themselves down the 
cliffs and thus committed suicide. Before the eyes of the king 
an old man killed his wife and seven children, and having 
thrown them down the cliff, he committed suicide by jumping 
down the same way. Herod abjured him to spare his own wife 
and children, but he rather wished to see them die before his 
own eyes, than to deliver them to Herod. By means of this 
drastic measure the king succeeded in subduing the robber- 
league in this section. 

In this valley the Lord wandered many a time, because the 
road passed through towards Nazareth and by Kurun Hattin, 
the same way that we had come the day before. Among those 
cliffs the pigeons still built their nests and play as they have 
done for ages. This valley has its sad and pleasant memories 
as well. "We stood a long time and looked up this gorge and 
thought of the past. Not far from here is El-Mejdel, the 
ancient Magdala. This village is located at the southern end 
of the plain Gennesaret by the sea. Here Mary, called Magda- 
lene, used to live. Magdala is mentioned only in Matthew 15 : 
39, where we read that Jesus, having fed the four thousand 

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men, came into the coasts of Magdala. Luke informs us that 
when Jesus went about from city to city, from village to vil- 
lage, proclaiming the gospel in his kingdom, He was ministered 
unto by certain women, whom He had healed of evil spirits and 
infirmities, and one of these was Mary Magdalene, out of whom 
He had cast seven devils (Mark 16 : 9) . She had received much 
and she loved much for this very reason. This woman held out 
at the crucifixion until all was finished. She was there when 
the body of Jesus was taken down from the cross and buried. 
Early in the morning she was at the sepulcre, and she was the 
first one that received a greeting from the Master that He lived. 
She was the first one to see Him after His resurrection. Since 
the fall woman has borne a heavier burden, as a consequence of 
sin, than man, but now in the beginning of the new era the Re- 
deemer came to her with the greetings of peace and good will. 
And woman has also given proof of her loyalty to the cause of 
Christ and willingly devoted herself to the cause of that institu- 
tion, which He founded, the Christian church. On the whole 
she serves more faithfully in the church than man. Here in 
Magdala we are reminded of these things. 

This village is not of much importance at present. There 
are only a few hovels of sunburnt clay, covered with straw, and 
the whole looks very uninviting. On a little plain to the south- 
west of this place the Beduins were threshing. A little girl 
carried water in a jar from the sea to water some bushes and 
flowers near a little hut. In this village with all its dirt and 
filth there is no Magdalene any more. If there were a few of 
them, Magdala would look quite different. 

We are now going to pass over the plain of Gennesaret. 
This is three miles long, somewhat over a mile wide, and 
covered with thorns and thistles together with shrubs and 
smaller trees. Because of this it is very difficult to get through, 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



if you turn from the way. This plain is designated by the 
Arab El- Guweir, or the Little Ghor, which means hallow. This 
plain is very fruitful and there is a most excellent climate 
here. There are several brooks that run over this plain all the 
year round, and along the banks of these brooks oleander, fig, 
and other trees grow in abundance. Josephus describes it 
thus, "The land which is located right by this lake has the 
same name as Gennesaret. The nature of this plain is wonder- 
ful as well as beautful. Its soil is so fruitful, the climate so 
agreeable and suitable that the inhabitants plant all kinds 
of trees; the walnut especially, which requires a cooler 
air, thrives well here. There are also palm trees, which 
grow best in warm regions. Figs and olives thrive 
here, and they require a milder climate. This country does not 
only bring forth fruits, such as grapes and figs during 
ten months of the year, but other kinds of fruits, which ripen 
at the same time, the whole year round. Besides this excellent 
climate this land can boast of a rich spring called Capernaum 
(Jos. Bell. 3: 10: 8)." 

This plain is spoken of by Matthew, who relates, that after 
Jesus had returned from the desert place, where He fed five 
thousand men and walked upon the water, He came together 
with his His disciples across the sea and landed at Gennesaret 
(Matt. 14: 34). Mark tells us that they came to the land of 
Gennesaret, and landed there (7:53). Here was a veritable 
paradise formerly as far as the vegetation was concerned, but 
how differently this plain looks now! We rode along a path- 
way by the shore. In the sea the oxen and cows of the 
Beduins frisked about and had a good time, enjoying them- 
selves in this refreshing water. The hills rise around this plain 
towards the west, and this makes it look all the more romantic. 
It took just an hour to ride across this plain from Magdala to 

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Chan Minje, on a hill at the northern end of the plain. At the 
foot of a ridge there are some rains, and some think that Chin- 
neret, was located there. This city was found within the 
boundaries of the tribe of Naphtali, and perhaps the sea and 
the plain received their names from this city. But Jerome says 
that Chinneret has been identified with Tiberias, and perhaps 
that was the tradition at that time. Chinneret has not really 
been found, and there is no certainty as to where it was located. 

In this neighborhood is the Ain et-Tini, i. e. Figwell. Ac- 
cording to tradition this is the site of Bethsaida, the hometown 
of Peter, Andrew, and Philip. The Apostle John tells us 
' ' That Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter ' ' 
(John 1: 44, 12: 21). Bethsaida means fish-house, and this 
would seem to indicate that the inhabitants were engaged in 
fishing. Now the question is, Are there one or two places hav- 
ing this name ? Some authors hold that there is only one, and 
that is Bethsaida Julias, on the other side of the Jordan. Ac- 
cording to this explanation Jesus and the disciples came across 
to Bethsaida from the northeast side of the sea in such a way 
that they followed along the shore and thus came to Caper- 
naum and Bethsaida on the other side. But if we more closely 
investigate the testimony of the Bible and the geographic sit- 
uation, we will find that it will be quite necessary to accept the 
idea that there was also a Bethsaida on the other or western 
side of Gennesaret. A look at the map will show us that you 
can hardly speak of going across the sea, when you at the 
same time adhere to the idea that Jesus performed the miracle 
on the northeast side of the lake in the neighborhood of Beth- 
saida Julias, on the east side of the Jordan. It would be alto- 
gether improper to speak of going across, when it really would 
be following the shore. But if we give proper heed to the 
wording of Mark, the thought that Bethsaida was located on 



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the western side of the sea will have weighty support, because 
we find that Jesus, having performed the miracle by feeding 
the 5,000 men with five loaves and two fishes, on the east side of 
the sea in a desert place (Mark 6 : 32), constrained His disciples 
to get into the ship and go to the other side over against Beth- 
saida, while He sent away the people (Mark 6: 45). Now if 
Jesus and His disciples were on the east side of the sea, it is 
improper to speak of a place which is on the same side, as if it 
were on the other side. Furthermore, we read that when they 
had passed away, they came into the land of Gennesaret, and 
drew to the shore (Mark 6: 53; Matt. 14: 35). From this it 
becomes clear that we must look for Bethsaida in the neighbor- 
hood of the land of Gennesaret, and this makes it very probable 
that Bethsaida was located near Chan Minje. 

Here there is a high ridge which reaches to the sea, and 
on this is a heap of ruins and fallen walls. But these ruins are, 
no doubt, from a later date, since the pieces of jars and other 
things found here give evidence of this. This hill is called 
Tell el-Oreme, and when this is crossed, we come into a valley 
where a fountain gives an abundance of water. On this plain 
is Et-Tabiga. The water flows to the sea by means of an aque- 
duct. It is lukewarm and salty, and of sufficient power to 
drive a mill, which is very primitive in construction. This 
spring, whose water is gathered in a round tank, is really called 
Seven springs or Heptapegon. Perhaps this Ain et-Tabiga is 
identical with the well Capernaum of which Josephus speaks. 

At the western end of the plain at the foot of the hill the 
Roman church has built a "hospitz" and there the tourists may 
have lodging. 

This locality is very beautiful, and under the hand of man 
it has been made still more attractive by the plantations 
around the cloister. According to the findings of some authors 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 

this is the place, where the sermon on the mount was delivered. 
According to Matthew He went np into amountain (Matt. 5:1), 
and Lnke relates that He came down and stood in the plain 
(Luke 6: 17). Did He deliver two sermons on the mount or 
only one? There seems to be reason to believe that when He 
gave the sermon which Matthew tells about, He was on a 
mountain, and when He preached the one spoken of by Luke, 
He was standing on the plain. These circumstances can be 
harmonized very well here at Bethsaida, where there is a plain, 
and right near by is a ridge or a mountain. On Tell el-Oreme 
is a place large enough for a great multitude, and this place fits 
much better into the story of the Evangelists than Kurun Hat- 
tin, so far away from Capernaum and the sea. The distance 
from Tell el-Oreme to Capernaum is suitable also. Luke says 
that when He had ended all His sayings in the audience of the 
people, He enters into Capernaum (Luke 7:1). We do not be- 
lieve that the Evangelist would have used such language, if 
Capernaum had not been so near. Kurun Hattin, the Mount of 
Beatitudes of the Middle Ages, is too distant from Capernaum ; 
it is over ten miles from this city. I believe that it was on this 
ridge that the wonderful Teacher delivered that unparalleled 
sermon. At the shore of Gennesaret he delivered many a ser- 
mon and he did not lack hearers, who came from the cities and 
the villages around the shores of this sea. Here He healed and 
taught, and here it was comparatively easy to get an audience 
among the thousands who lived here. 

When we came down from the mountain, Tell el-Oreme, we 
intended to take a rest near Tabiga, but we found no suitable 
place where we could have a desirable shade, and hence we de- 
termined to continue to Tell Hum. This place is about half an 
hour's distance from here along the seashore. Along this road 



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the Master had walked many a time, and as I was riding along, 
I thought of Him who had traveled in the self -same place tired 
and weary. I rejoiced that I had a chance literally to follow in 
His footsteps. 

At last we came to Tell Hum. These ruins are surrounded 
by a stone wall, within which there are about eight or ten acres 
of land. We went to the uncovered ruins right by the shore. 
Here we found some cars on rails. They have used them in 
their excavations. Tell Hum was buried under the soil and 
rubbish for centuries, and no one knew where to find it. Now 
is Tell Hum Capernaum ? The Christian and Jewish traditions 
say so, and so, too, the Mohammedans tell us. Later investiga- 
tions also testify that here is the place where the ancient Caper- 
naum was located. This tract of land now belongs to the 
Franciscans, who have built a kind of hotel here, where the 
traveler may find lodging. This is at the northern end of the 
ruins. At the shore they have planted some fir trees and this 
makes the place look inviting and cozy, but the slopes all 
around are barren and desolate. Capernaum is not mentioned 
in the Old Testament, but the Evangelists speak about it sev- 
eral times. It has become renowned as the home-town of 
Christ. Matthew applies the prophecy in Isaiah 9: 1 on this 
city and surroundings. "When Jesus heard that John had been 
put in prison, He returned to Galilee; and, leaving Nazareth, 
"He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, 
in the borders of Zabulon and Naphthalim ; That it might be 
fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, The 
land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the 
sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; The people which 
sat in darkness saw a great light ; and to them which sat in the 
region and shadow of death light is sprung up" (Matt. 4: 
12-16). On this shore, where the great caravans went by, and 



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where multitudes of people went back and forth, He had His 
home. Peter and Andrew also had their homes here, and it was 
on this shore that He called them to the great task to spread 
His teachings throughout the Roman world. Matthew, or as 
he is also called, Levi, was called as he was siting at the receipt 
of customs to follow the Master. Here He performed many 
miracles; here He healed the centurion's servant (Matt. 8:5); 
and the nobleman's son was restored to health through a word 
of the Lord, who at that time was in Cana (John 4 : 46) . Here He 
healed the mother of Simon's wife, who was sick of a fever (Mark 
1: 30) ; here He healed a man sick of palsy (Matt. 9:7), and 
in the synagogue here in Capernaum He drove out the spirit 
of an unclean devil (Luke 4: 33). Here He took a child and 
placed the same in the midst of them and gave them an object 
lesson in humility. Here He spoke in the synagogue and the 
Apostle John has given us this sermon (John 6). The city of 
Capernaum must have been quite large, because here the Roman 
government had a garrison of troops stationed. Here was a 
custom house. The centurion had high regard for the Jews 
and had built a synagogue for them (Luke 7:5). This is the 
synagogue, which they have discovered, and which has become 
a binding evidence that this place is Capernaum. For a long 
time I went around and observed this ruin, and especially did I 
study the ruin of the synagogue. The floor is well preserved, 
and perhaps these are the very stones upon which His blessed 
feet have trod. In this synagogue He spoke many a time. Here 
are broken pillars, scattered helter skelter, but from these we 
draw the conclusion that this must have been a magnificent 
building. The walls are, of course, torn down, but you can see 
the foundation and parts of the stairs. These are very well pre- 
served and there are two of them, one at the southwest and the 
other at the southeast corner. As I was walking around among 



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the pillars on the floor, I thought of Him who taught here and 
spoke of the bread of life, and I believe that this is the very 
place. As I was moving around here, I observed that there is a 
passage from the synagogue to the wharf. As to what this pas- 
sage was used for it may not be so easy to tell, but some believe 
that it served as a passage for the people from the landing 
place to the synagogue. As I was walking around here the 
monk was watching me, as though he had falcon eyes, so that I 
should not take any pictures of the ruins. Josephus tells us 
that he was wounded in the war and was taken to Capernaum 
and then to Tarichea (Vita 72). But he did not tell us where 
the city was located. The Bishop Ephiphanius at Sal amis on 
the island of Cyprus, (403) writes that a church was erected at 
Capernaum, and Antonius (570) says that "the house of Peter 
had been changed into a basilica." Later investigations have 
made it clear that around the walls of the synagogue are other 
walls surrounding them. Perhaps these outside walls are the 
ruins of the church, spoken of by Epiphanius and Antonius? 
The inside building was 74 long and 56 feet wide. When Wil- 
son made investigations among these ruins, he found on a block 
of stone a vessel like the jar of manna. This may remind us of 
His sermon in the synagogue, in whieh He mentions manna, and 
the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat 
thereof and not die (John 6: 49-50). 

Here it was that the greatest of men went about and 
taught. Outside of this city He sat in a boat and taught, and 
the echoes of His teachings have been carried around the world 
and are read in palace and hovel. Let us, briefly, remind our- 
selves how He went around this country, while He had His 
home here in Capernaum. Within a short time He met with 
opposition, and going out of town, He taught by the seaside 
(Mark 3: 7-12). Then He went up into a mountain and spent 

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the night in prayer, and then chose His disciples. Then He de- 
livered, as we believe, on Tel el-Oreme, His sermon on the mount 
(Matt. 5:7). From Capernaum He made quite a few journeys 
First of all He healed the centurion's servant, and then He went 
to Nain and resurrected the son of the widow. During this 
journey He received the messengers from John the Baptist, 
became a guest in the house of a Pharisee, in which a woman, 
who was a sinner, washed His feet. Returning, he healed one 
possessed by an evil spirit, and the pharisees declared by rea- 
son of this that He drove out the evil spirits by the power of 
the devil. Again He meets with opposition in the city and goes 
out to preach by the sea side. From the shore He crosses the 
sea and goes to the land of the Gadarenes, and during this 
journey He rebukes the storm and the sea becomes quiet (Mark 
4: 35-41). On the southeast side of the sea he cures two posses- 
sed by evil spirits, and drives the spirits into the swine. 

When Jesus returned from Gergesa to Capernaum, He 
resurrected the daughter of Jarius (Luke 8: 56). His next 
journey He made to Nazareth, but here He was opposed and re- 
jected. For some time He went about in Galilee, and when He 
returned to His own city, He was informed that Herod had be- 
headed John the Baptist. Then He left Capernaum and de- 
parted to a place near Bethsaida Julias, on the other side of the 
Jordan (Mark 6: 31-32). Here He fed five thousand men with 
five loaves of bread and two fishes. In the evening He sent 
away the disciples, and as they were on the sea, he came to 
them going on the water. That morning they landed at the 
plain of Gennesaret, then they returned to Capernaum, and 
here He gave His sermon about the bread of life. Another 
time He went out to the coast at Tyre and Sidon. Here He 
healed the Syrophenician woman's daughter, and from this 
place He returned to the east side of the lake and came through 

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Decapolis, to the southeast of Tiberias. Here He performed a 
miracle, healing a man who was deaf and dumb, and fed four 
thousand men (Mark 7: 31-37; 8: 1-9). From here He crossed 
Gennesaret to Dalmanutha, and went from there to Bethsaida, 
where He healed a blind man (Mark 8 : 22-26). From here He 
travelled along the valley to Caesarea Philippi, whence He re- 
turned to Capernaum. 

From this story of the Evangelist we find how busy He 
was at work while it was day. These shores have echoed the 
blessed words from His lips. What city has had such a chance 
to find the way of life as Capernaum ! And still He found no 
repentance ! No wonder that He exclaimed as He did, remind- 
ing Himself of all the spiritual privileges that the people of 
Capernaum enjoyed," And thou Capernaum, which art exalted 
unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell : for if the mighty 
works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, 
it would have remained until this day" (Matt. 11: 23). But 
the other cities had also received grace for grace, and had not 
repented, and for this reason he exclaims regarding some of 
them, 1 1 Woe unto thee, Chorazin ! woe unto thee Bethsaida ! for 
if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been in Tyre 
and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and 
ashes" (Matt. 11: 21). These cities have also vanished from 
the face of the earth ; men with the spade in the hand have been 
searching for them, and in these last days they have become 
certain as to where they have been located. Not more than 
four places have been pointed out as Capernaum. One is Chan 
Minje, near Tell el-Oreme, the other one is Et-Tabiga, a little 
to the northeast from here, and which place they now consider 
to be Bethsaida, a third one is Ain Medauwerah, at the western 
end of the plain of Gennesaret, and the fourth place is Tell 
Hum or the Hill of Hum. After careful investigations they 

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have settled down on this place, and this is the correct one, no 
doubt. The name, which is composed of Cepher, which means 
village, and Nahum, which means consolation, thus means the 
"village of consolation," and how expressive for a place, where 
the Son of God has been teaching. 

The time allotted to me for Capernaum was altogether too 
short, but we must go on. The dragoman blows his whistle 
and that means "go on!" Like a dreamer I had been walking 
about among these ruins, and I could hardly conceive that this 
was the place, where our Saviour had His home and where 
He was teaching and performing mircles! 



[364] 



Chapter XVII 



IN NORTHERN GALILEE 



OW we are ready to go northward. But there is another 



11 place I must mention before leaving. I mean Chorazin. 
According to Hierome it was located two miles from Caper- 
naum along the sea. About two miles from Capernaum some 
ruins have been found called Kerase. Is this Chorazin? Some 
believe it ; others do not. Thompson in his, "The Land and the 
Book," Vol. 11, page 8, says, "There is no place that rivals 
Kerase." But this is not in accordance with the truth, because 
Brocardus (1283) writes, that "Jordan falls into the sea be- 
tween Capernaum and Chorazin," and according to the map of 
Marino Sanuto (1308) Chorazin was located to the east of the 
sea of Gennesaret. According to another author, Menkes, 
there was a village east of Jordan by the name Quarzin. This 
location seems to correspond with the description of Wilibald, 
who relates that on his journey about the sea from Tiberias He 
came first to Magdala, Capernaum, Bethsaida, and then to 
Chorazin. It is difficult to determine which is the right place. 
According to the general opinion Kerase is the right one. 
Quite recently they have found the ruins of a synagogue with 
Corinthian pillars, and a road leads from this place to the 
ancient caravan highway, which passes through these sections. 
The road from Capernaum leads us in a northwesterly direc- 
tion over the hills and by a Chan, where some Arabs are tenting 
with their camels. After an hour's journey we came, at about 
twelve o 'clock, to an old Chan, D jub Yusef , i. e. the Chan at the 




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well of Joseph. Here we stopped for dinner, but it was very 
warm and no water was to be had. Near this Chan, on a ridge, 
is a well, and the Mohammedans hold, that this is the well in 
which Joseph was put by his brothers. Such an assertion shows 
a gross deficiency in the knowledge of the Scriptures, but we 
must remember that it is the Mohammedans that make such an 
assertion. Here is the main road and a great many Arabs are 
riding back and forth. Some greeted us very kindly with their 
"marhaba", a word of greeting, which means about the same 
as "good day." Along a stony road we proceeded in the hot 
sunshine, and came in about an hour to a crossroad, where the 
road to the left leads to Saf ed. The road to the right is the one 
we shall follow. Within about half an hour's ride from here we 
would come to Safed. We followed the road along hills and val- 
leys with the Jewish colony, Roschpina as the goal. This village 
is also called Djaune. This colony is located on the northeast side 
of the Safed mountains and to the southwest from the waters 
of Merom. We came here late in the afternoon and resolved to 
stay here till the next day. 

From this place there is a most excellent view towards the 
sea of Galilee, and along the valley of Jordan towards the 
northeast to Lebanon. Here you see Hermon as a real giant 
at the northern boundary line of the land. In Roschpina we 
rode up along a very steep street and lodged at the house of a 
Jew, who kept a kind of hotel. The buildings of the colony, 
which are scattered around on the side of the mountain, are 
made of stone and are white. Towards the northeast is the 
plain, where the Jews have their vineyards and their grain- 
fields. In this colony the people also have a number of mul- 
berry trees and cultivate the silkworm and raisins. Our Jewish 
host was very kind and gave us a very good room, but here 
we had no peace on earth because of flies and mosquitoes, which 



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kept us all the time on the warpath. Besides these there were 
a number of geese and chickens in the neighborhood. Now 
and then during the night they gave us some of their melodies, 
and we had to listen, because they were so near. 

The 29th September we arose early in the morning, and at 
half past five we were in the saddle, ready to go to Caesarea 
Philippi. My poor "mule boy" was battling with his fever 
and could not come along. My dragoman was my only com- 
panion. We rode towards the northeast down the slope, until 
we came to a road which passes along the west side of the 
waters of Merom. The Arabs call this lake Bahrat el-Hule. It 
is about three miles long and two wide. This is the water of 
Merom, of which we read in the book of Joshua (11: 5-7). 
Here the kings of the Canaanites marshalled their armies 
against the children of Israel, and here Joshua came suddenly 
upon them. This happened at the time, when Israel conquered 
the country, and divided the land between the various tribes. 
This lake is only from ten to sixteen feet deep, and forms a 
triangle, whose base faces the north. The river Jordan flows 
in at the north end and runs out at the southern end. Along 
the shores, and on the north side there grows a certain kind of 
grass, from six to twelve feet high. It is called babir or papy- 
rus-reed by the Arabs. On this marsh near the lake are vari- 
ous kinds of wild animals, such as wild boars, panthers, and 
buffaloes, that move around in this bog. The middle of the 
lake is free from weeds and here the J ews from Roschpina and 
Jesud Hamaala, another Jewish colony, located on the west side 
of the sea, do their fishing. We had a chance to taste this fish 
from the water of Merom, and it was quite good. There is an 
abundance of fish in this lake. 

The valley where we rode, is about two or three miles 
wide. To the east we have the mountains of Gaulanitis and on 



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the west side the ridge of Naphtali. These mountains are not 
very high, but fall almost perpendicularly down into the valley. 
North of the lake the land is called Erd el-Hule or the Land of 
Hule. Having passed by the lake, we came to more elevated 
land. Here, along the fields, the Arabs sat with their guns in 
their garden lodges. These lodges are made of poles with a 
straw roof, which gives protection from the sun. When I saw 
these lodges, I thought of the words in Isaiah, ' 'And the daugh- 
ter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a 
garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city" (Is. 1: 8). This val- 
ley is occupied by the Ghawarineh-Arabs, or as the word im- 
plies, the Arabs in the Ghor or "cavity." Besides tilling the 
soil, they tend to their flocks, hunt, fish, and weave carpets of 
straw. The land is rich and gives good crops. When we 
had gone quite a distance along this valley, we came to a foun- 
tain, called Ain el-Betala. Further north there is a still larger 
spring, called Ain el-Melaha, which gives water enough to turn 
a mill. Here we watered our horses and rested awhile, watch- 
ing the Arabs, who were tending to their herds of cattle, and 
cultivating cornfields. We rode along during the whole fore- 
noon until we came to the foothills; here we turned a little 
towards the northeast. The road is exceedingly stony, and 
streams of water poured forth between the stones along the 
pathway. Here we saw, along the sides of Lebanon and Anti- 
lebanon, many villages and cities. At last we came to one of 
the tributaries of the river Jordan, Hasbani. This river we 
followed for quite a long while. The country is barren and 
desolate. We saw very few human dwellings along the road. 
We did not see a single human being for a long time, and the 
whole vicinity bore the stamp of desolation itself. Part of the 
time we followed an old Roman road, which must have been a 
regular highway in the olden time, but now there are only 

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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



pieces of it fit for use. Here is the old Via Maris of the ancient 
world, as it was called during the Middle Ages. We followed 
Hasbani for quite a distance and came at last to an old bridge 
which the Romans have built. This bridge has the peculiar 
name of Djisr el Rhacljar. It is made of stone, of course, and 
almost ready to fall. When we came to the bridge we stepped 
down from the horses, and led them across, because we feared 
that the horses might not dare to go over this miserable look- 
ing structure. We came over safely and went in a northeast- 
erly direction to the old Dan. The river Hasbani follows the 
valley up to the northern end of the land of Canaan, to the vil- 
lage Hasbeya. A smaller branch of this river, a tributary of 
the Jordan, goes up to Rasjeja, but it is dry in the summer. The 
jwell of Hasbani, which flows all the year round, is 1630 feet 
above the level of the sea. This branch of the river is about 
twelve miles long. On the other side of the river was an 
abundance of stones and the road was exceedingly bad. We 
rode along about half an hour and came to Tell el-Kahdi, the 
ancient Lais or Dan. The road led us onward, over hills and 
valleys, until we came to the river El-Leddan, which flows into 
Hasbani river a little further down. The country is very 
suitable for pasture, and there we saw many Beduin tents. 

When we came to the river El-Leddan, the middle branch 
of the Jordan, we went into a little grove by the river where the 
road passes and there we sat down to take dinner. We are now 
at the fountain of the Jordan ; and just a few fathoms from the 
place, where we sit down to rest and have dinner, this spring 
bubbles up from the bowels of the earth. It is claimed that this 
is the largest spring in the world. We found a very good place 
among the trees, and the clearest water gushed forth under the 
branches of these trees. Along the banks of the river trees and 
bushes of various kinds are growing. The river gushes forth 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



at the foot of a low hill. On this hill lay the old Dan, that is 
now called Khadi, which in Arabic means " judge." The 
Hebrew word also means "judge." The spring pours its 
water into a pool, and from there it flows southward. Here is 
Dan, located at the northern boundary of the ancient Pales- 
tine. The expression from "Dan to Bersheba" means from 
the northernmost end of the land to the southernmost. To this 
part of the land the Danites went from their little lot north- 
west of Jerusalem to possess the land. This place became 
sadly renowned for the idolatry in the time of Jeroboam 
(I Kings 12 : 92). Here he put up an idol in the form of a calf, 
so that the children of Israel might not need to go up to Jeru- 
salem to worship. Further on in history Dan is mentioned 
among the cities which Benhadad, the king of Syria, sacked. 

Nature is very grand in this part of Palestine. When we 
came to the river, two Circassians were resting there. They 
had each a horse, and weapons along with them. They were 
soldiers in the service of the government. The Circassians 
are Mohammedans, and have lived in Circassia for some time, 
but have been driven out of their country and a colony of them 
live in the vicinity of Amman, on the other side of the dead 
sea. While they were resting here, they went through their re- 
ligious exercises. On a large stone on the bank of the Jordan 
they spread their mantles and said their prayers. Before a 
Mohammedan says his prayers, he washes his hands and feet, 
and, if he has a chance, his whole body. Having said their 
prayers, and rested awhile longer, they continued their jour- 
ney, bidding us good bye. Here we enjoyed a refreshing rest, 
and the water, bubbling up from the earth, seemed to cool off 
the air. For this reason we enjoyed ourselves very much here. 

At about one o'clock we went on and came to Caesarea 
Philippi, about three miles from here. The road was very bad 

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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



and we came there about three o'clock. We rode into the vil- 
lage on the dingy looking streets, along which the most miser- 
able looking huts were erected. At last we came to the lodg- 
ing place, which was located in the middle of the town. There 
are only about 150 inhabitants in this ragged looking village. 
We stopped over night at the house of a man, whose name was 
Abu Samusa. He kept a kind of a hotel. But I declare you 
have never seen such a hotel before. We stepped down from 
the horses in front of a yard, which was a kind of a court to 
the house itself. At the east end of this court was the dwelling 
place, and a stair led up into the upper story. In front of this 
story there was a little platform, and in the corner there was a 
certain roof, giving protection from the rays of the sun. 

Now within the said court were sheep, asses, horses, geese, 
chickens etc. and in the midst of these animals the lady of the 
house was sitting in a kind of crib, baking bread on a piece of 
board which was placed on the ground. She baked the bread 
in an oven that looked like a churn, dug down in the ground. 
At the bottom of this oven I saw some coal. She smeared her 
dough along the side of this churnlike oven. The bread was 
thin and the cake was about ten inches across. Many times 
they have to use manure of cows to heat the oven with. 

When we came into the upper rooms we lay down on the 
floor to rest. There was no chair, no bed, no table, and no fur- 
niture of any kind. Carpets were spread on the floor, but we 
had reason to fear the insects, and we did not rest there very 
long. After a while we went out to take a look at the village, 
whose inhabitants are all Mohammedans, and who live in the 
most wretched huts and in utmost poverty. It was quite differ- 
ent in the olden times. Caesarea has a history full of vicissi- 
tudes. The early name of this place was Baal-Gad. Here this 
god had his home. He was the god of fortune. In the Old 



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Testament this place is mentioned only once, namely in the 
book of Joshua (Jos. 11: 17; 12: 7). Joshua captured the 
country even to Baal-Gad, in the valley of Lebanon, below 
mount Hermon. Some have supposed that by Baal-Gad is 
meant Baalbek in Coelosyra, but when we read, "at the foot of 
Hermon," there can be no doubt as to where it was located. 
While Joshua was conquering the kings of Canaan, subduing 
the country, he pressed forward to the northern boundary, 
overcoming the Giblites, and all Lebanon, toward the sunrising, 
from Baal-Gad under mount Hermon unto the entering into 
Hamath (Jos. 13: 5). From this it becomes clear that Baal- 
Gad is Caesarea Philippi. The city is not mentioned in the 
Scripture from the time of Joshua to King Herod, and then 
it is called Baneas, which name it received from the god Pan, 
who was worshiped in a hollow, at the foot of the mountain, 
where the Jordan flows out of the mountain. King Herod 
built a temple here to the honor of Augustus. Josephus says the 
following about this temple: "When he (Herod) had brought 
the emperor to the sea and returned home, he built in his honor 
a very beautiful temple of the most white stone to be found in 
the land Zenodorus, near the place called Panium. This is a 
very beautiful grotto in the mountain, under which there is a 
great cavity in the earth, and the grotto is very steep and full 
of water. Above it hangs a great mountain, and under the 
cavern the springs of the river Jordan rise. Herod adorned 
the place, which was already a remarkable one, still further, by 
the erection of this temple, which he dedicated to Caesar (Jos. 
Hist. 15: 10: 3). Philip, the son of Herod, beautified the 
city, and he was the one who called it in honor of the emperor, 
Caesarea. This country the emperor Claudius gave to Agrippa 
II in the year 52 A. D. When Titus had captured Jerusalem 
in 70, he went to Caesarea by the sea, and then to Caesarea 



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Philippi, where he remained for some time. Here he threw 
some prisoners of war to wild animals and others he compelled 
to kill each other, as though they were enemies (Bell Jud. 7:2: 
1). The old name of the place has been kept, but when the 
Arabs came to power they called it Banias. The Arabs cannot 
pronounced the letter p, and cannot say Panias. This city is 
spoken of only once in the New Testament. In Matthew 16: 
13 we read that the Lord Jesus, when he came to the coasts of 
Caesarea Philippi, asked His disciples, saying "Whom do men 
say that I, the Son of man, am ? And they said, Some say that 
thou art John the Baptist : some Elias ; and others, Jeremias, or 
one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye 
that I am 2 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the 
Christ, the Son of the living God." Six days after this con- 
fession J esus brought His disciples up into a high mountain and 
was transfigured before them. We have already given some 
reasons why we believe Hermon to be the Mount of Trans- 
figuration, and only wish to add that when we came to the 
village in the afternoon, we saw one of the tops of the moun- 
tains right behind the ancient city, and my dragoman cried out, 
"On yonder top our Saviour was transfigured." 

The report is that the woman, who suffered for twelve 
years, and who was healed by the Lord, was a heathen from 
this city (Matt. 9: 20-22). Eusebius writes, "Outside of her 
house you see on a high pedestal a statue made of bronze of a 
woman in a praying attitude, and a little above this there is a 
statue of a man with a white mantle, stretching out His hand 
over the woman, and below, at the very pedestal, grows a cer- 
tain plant, which reaches up to the edge of the cloak, and this 
plant is a remedy for all diseases. This represents Christ ac- 
cording to the report. This monument still exists, and during 
a visit in the city, I have seen it with my own eyes (Eusebius 



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Church History). Julian the Apostate (361-363) removed this 
statue and replaced it by his own. This was knocked to pieces 
by lightning. God is not to be mocked. The Christians put 
this statue of the Saviour in one of the churches in the city, and 
Wilibald (735) saw it and also the healing herb. Constantine 
established a bishopric at this place and its bishop attended 
the meeting of Nice in 325 and Chalcedon in 451. In 1188 
Saladin captured Caesarea Philippi, and ever since that time 
this place has been under the scepter of the Mohammedans. 
The village built upon the ruins is one of the most miserable 
you can imagine. But the ruins are immense, and here you 
find pillars, walls, gates, and old foundations ; and all this gives 
you an impression of what Caesarea Philippi was in the time of 
its glory. The village is built on a ridge between two valleys. 
Here is an abundance of water, and as a consequence there is an 
abundance of trees and bushes in and around this place. The 
location is, as far as the sights are concerned, one of the 
grandest you can see. From here there is a splendid view of 
Galilee and the east Jordanic country. My dragoman went 
with me and we started out to look over the ruins. We saw 
first of all the cavern in the mountain, at the foot of Hermon ; 
and here it is still opening its jaws, but now it is not so large as 
it was formerly. We saw no water in it, but below the opening 
there is a stream of clear water. I drank from this fountain 
and must say that it tasted as good as any water that I have 
ever drank. Around the opening of the cavern there are cer- 
tain niches cut out in the stone, and here the idols were placed. 
Below these niches there are inscriptions in Greek, but these 
are not all legible at present. Below one of them we read, 
' ' This goddess is dedicated to the deity Pan, a lover of the god- 
dess Echos, of the son of the priest Victor Lysimmachos. " 
Greeks who came here, found this region like the watered val- 



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leys of Arcadia, and so they dedicated this place to the god 
Pan. He was a god of the forest, who was wandering on the 
green fields, by the murmuring brooks, and during the cooling 
hours of the evenings he would play beautiful tones on his flute. 
In the northern part of the place there are the ruins of the 
castle of the city. The present village is mostly built within 
the walls of the ancient fortress, and the old city is located 
further south. At the place, where the spring gushes forth, 
there is a pile of stones, and they are the ruins of the ancient 
temple. These ruins tell us, better than words can, how 
heathenism will fall and crumble. 

Above the village is the fortress Kalaat Kubeibe or the 
fortress of Banias. As we approached the village, we saw this 
dark structure on the mountain side. It is located about 1000 
feet above the village, and about an hour's journey from there. 
This is the strongest fortress of Palestine. It is built of very 
huge stones and must have been quite a protection for this part 
of the country. Right by this fortress the road leads to 
Damascus. Who built this, when it was done, and against 
what enemies will, no doubt, for all time to come be open ques- 
tions. Immense cisterns are hewn out in the mountains, and in 
these the rainwater was gathered. Other kinds of water could 
not be obtained at this altitude. 

Walking about for some time, we came to the southern 
part of the town and observed the stone bridge crossing the 
Saare valley. At the northern end of the bridge is a gate, 
and this looks as though it might fall any time. This gate 
dates from the Roman times. Returning to our lodging place, 
we saw some stores, and I confess that I have never seen such 
structures. 

Now time for supper is drawing near, and we went to Abu 
Samusa's residence. On the floor the hotelkeeper placed a 

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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 

tray, and he and Mr. Aboosh helped each other to bring forth 
the necessities of life. The supper consisted of bread, which 
the lady of the house had baked as we came in, a watermelon, 
some fish, which my dragoman had brought along from Rosch- 
pina, and thick, sour goat's milk. We sat down by the tray on 
the floor. That this tray was not clean I do not need to tell. 
I had seen how the bread was prepared, and that was enough 
for me. I was hungry and tired. As fortune would have it, 
we still had some of the bread which we brought along from 
Roschpina. That the sour goat's milk was far from clean I 
can assure you, but what was to be done? I looked up towards 
the roof, closed my eyes, and took my reason captive, and so I 
let the sour goat's milk go down. Necessity has no law, and 
this you will experience when you travel among the Beduins. 

After supper we lingered for some time before we went to 
bed. "We determined to lie down on the platform outside the 
door, because we suspected that there would be a desperate 
warfare with the fleas, lice, and other insects. We had not 
rested long after darkness set in, before a number of people 
rushed out, and the reason was this, that robbers had come 
near the village, and stolen the corn, which the inhabitants had 
placed there in heaps outside of the village. After some time 
they came back, but not before we had heard quite a few shots. 
After this there was no sleep. In a few minutes there was a 
regular concert among the animals just below our platform; 
the asses, horses, sheep, chickens, and what not joined in most 
heartily and there was a roaring noise. I had never heard such 
a concert before, and who could sleep amidst such a choir of 
singers. And towards midnight came Abu Samusa and his 
wife, and had their midnight meal. You may wonder why? 
The reason was this. We were there in the month called Ra- 
madan or the month of fasting, and no faithful Mohammedan 

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will eat anything this month during the daytime, but during 
the night they may eat as much as they please, and if I can 
judge anything about the meal, our good host made up for the 
loss by taking a good square meal. The mosquitoes, fleas, and 
other creeping things did all they could to keep us awake, and 
there was practically no sleep that night. We had a regular 
picnic during that night ! 

The following morning, September 30th, we arose at four 
o'clock. Our hotel keeper had gone up earlier that morning, 
milked the goat and boiled the milk. This, together with a 
piece of bread, constituted our breakfast. It was dark on the 
platform where we sat, and there was no light. This helped 
me to get rid of my scruples regarding the nature of the milk. 
At five o'clock we are again in the saddle, riding along the 
streets of Caesarea Philippi, and down the hilsides towards the 
waters of Merom. My dragoman reminded me what a suitable 
place this was for robbers. Here they could steal to their 
heart's content, and get away without being caught. We were 
lucky, though, and saw no one who wished to molest us. 

We rode onwards as fast as we could down the hills and 
over the valleys. My dragoman was somewhat puzzled about 
the road, but in a few minutes we observed a Beduin riding 
ahead of us in the tall grass. He was going the same way as 
we and he knew the place where we could cross the Jordan 
river. At last we came to the old road on the other side of the 
Jordan, at the base of the mountains of Naphthali, and returned 
after a very strenuous trip, during which our horses were on 
the point of giving up, to Roschpina, where we arrived at 12 
o'clock hungry and tired and almost exhausted. Here we 
remained till the following day to recuperate. To be in the 
saddle seven hours at one time is not the easiest thing in the 
world. Our poor Hammadi was still sick, and my dragoman 



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telegraphed to Jerusalem for another boy, who was to meet us 
in Tiberias. 

The 1st of October we were out early in the morning, and 
rode towards the southwest to Safed: The road is very poor 
and so steep, that we could not ride, but had to lead our horses. 
Many Arabs went along in our caravan, and it was interesting 
to see how the asses moved along the steep mountain sides with 
their heavy burdens. Outside of Roschpina we noticed how 
some girls carried fresh cow manure to a place beyond the vil- 
lage. There they plastered it on a stone wall, so that it would 
dry; later this was used for fuel. When we reached the top 
of the mountain, we had a splendid view of the whole vicinity, 
and especially of the river Jordan, the waters of Merom, and 
the mountains of Naphthali in the north. 

Soon we came to Safed. This city is located on the west- 
ern edge of a mountain ridge, and here we have a most excel- 
lent view in all directions. Down in the hollow are the Sea of 
Galilee, Tabor, and Little Hermon towards the southwest, and 
the Jordan valley and the mountains of Moab in the southeast. 
Safed, which has 15,000 inhabitants, of which half are Jews and 
part of the rest Christians, is located higher than any city in 
Galilee. Here was a fortress, which was destroyed by the 
earthquake in 1837. This city has three sections, or quarters, 
as they are called, — Mohammedan, Christian, and Jewish. 
Whether this town was located here in the time of the Saviour, 
cannot be determined. The claim is that Christ had in mind 
Safed when He said, "A city built upon a hill cannot be hid," 
but He might have had in mind some other town in Galilee. 

This is one of the holy cities of the Jews. To this place 
they have come from Poland, Galicia, Rumania, and Russia. 
Here these poor Jews live and are, to a great extent, supported 
by Jews in foreign countries. Here is a seat for a Kaimakam, 

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and he is subordinate to the Mutezarif in Acco. Here the 
Scotch Presbyterians have a mission station, and a Mission 
Society in London is carrying on mission work here. The cli- 
mate is very good on this mountain. It is necessary that they 
have a good climate to counteract the filth which is found in 
such abundance in the city, along the streets and lanes. I had 
never seen a dirtier section of a city than the Jewish quarter 
in Safed. If they kill a hen, they throw the feathers, entrails, 
and the bones on the streets, and you can imagine how the 
streets look. It is next to impossible to describe them. We 
went to the market place and observed how the Mohammedans 
carry on their trade. "We bought some fruit, but I could not 
eat it, owing to the filth. 

Safed is not spoken of in the Bible, nor in the Apocrypha, 
but Josephus relates something about it in his 1 1 Wars " (2:20:6), 
where he calls it Sef. During the Middle Ages this place 
comes into prominence. The Mohammedans and Christians 
fought some bloody battles for the supremacy of this place 
until 1266, when the Mohammedans captured the city and this 
section of the country. In the sixteenth century a Jewish 
school was established here and this surpassed the school at 
Tiberias. To this place many Jews fled, when the Holy City 
was captured and destroyed, and here they were permitted to 
live in peace. The Jews believe that their Messiah shall reveal 
himself first of all at the Sea of Tiberias and rule there for 40 
year. But this city is not what it was once. The Mohamme- 
dans and the earthquakes have helped to despoil it, arid the 
prominent school of the Rabbis is no more. 

About half an hour's ride to the west of Safed there is, on 
the eastern slope of Djebel Djermuk, a village by the name of 
Merom. To this place great throngs of Jews go as pilgrims 
during the Purim festival. In the neighborhood of this village 



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are graves, where the great teachers in the Jewish world are 
slumbering, such as Hillel, Schamma, Simeon ben Zachai, and 
others. 

We did not stay very long at Safed, although this is in 
many ways, a most interesting place. To this city there are 
nothing but pathways. How strange that you cannot drive a 
a carriage to such a large city. Here we met Professor 
Macalister. He and his guide had gone over the mountains of 
Naphthali by the ancient Cedesh, which is located on these 
mountains, a little to the northwest from the waters of Merom. 
He had gone directly to Safed and stopped over night here. 
We now went down to Tiberias together. 

While we rode through the city, we observed certain paint- 
ings on the houses in the form of armed candlesticks; and 
inquiring what this meant, I was informed, that they paint such 
pictures on the walls to prevent slander and backbiting. An 
easy thing to get rid of in such a way. Here we saw some 
beautiful buildings, such as the English and Jewish hospitals, 
etc. 

The road down to the sea of Galilee is very steep, and we 
had to walk down the hillsides. We came at last to Chan 
Minje, and passed across the plain of Gennesaret. Here we 
observed how the Beduins walk about with their guns, and I 
pity the one who has to travel alone over this plain. While 
we were riding along the road, Prof. Macalister gave his 
theory as to why he believed that the Israelites had been able 
to conquer the Canaanites in this northern section of Galilee at 
Dan. The malaria, caused by the climate in this region, makes 
man careless and less inclined to fight. Such a drowsy set of 
people it was comparatively easy to conquer. 

Passing by Magdala and Dalmanutha we saw shepherds 
driving their flocks to the sea to water them. The day was 



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warm and the way along the shore exceedingly poor. We ar- 
rived very tired at Tiberias at one o'clock in the afternoon. 
Here we rested for some time after this very tedious journey. 
At five o 'clock we went out with the dragoman on the sea and 
brought along two men to row. Although the boat was quite 
large, it was tossed as a ball on the billows. We did not catch 
any fish either, but returned empty handed. The heat was 
oppressive, but on the sea we did not feel it so much. After a 
while we went ashore and to our former bathing place to bathe ; 
then we returned to the hotel. The evening we spent in medi- 
tation on the great events that have taken place here. 

When the sun had set, the moon arose in the east over the 
hills of Bashan, and threw a weird light over the whole vicinity. 
I took my bedclothes and went up on the roof to sleep. Here it 
was very cool and the view was the best. The evening was 
the most perfect one could wish. Perhaps the night was such, 
when the great Teacher went out among the mountains on the 
northeast side of the lake to pray. We recollect that He often 
spent the night in prayer to His Father. I felt as though I was 
surrounded by the gracious Spirit of my Saviour, and with 
the night breezes I was greeted from His own city with a 
" peace be unto you!" It was certainly beautiful to be per- 
mitted to spend the night by the shores of the memorable sea, 
so rich in events from long ago. This is one of the most inter- 
esting places in Palestine, and I shall never forget the days I 
spent by this sea. 

The next day my dragoman took sick with a high fever 
and the physician advised him not to continue the journey, 
before he became better. I determined to stay with him. The 
following night I watched him all night, because he was very 
weak. My plan was to go from Tiberias to Djerash, Amman, 
and Petra, but the sickness of my dragoman canceled our plan. 



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The third of October, which was Sunday, my dragoman was 
much better, and at 12 :12 we started on a little steamer from 
Tiberias to Samach, the railroad station at the southern end 
of the sea. Now we passed by the old places, which we have 
endeavored to describe, and at six o'clock we are at Haifa. 

No matter how many times you see these old Biblical 
places, you see them again with a great deal of interest. I 
found it very difficult to depart from Gennesaret and its sur- 
roundings. Often I turned back to impress this historic body 
of water and its surroundings upon my mind. Farewell, thou 
memorable sea ! I am so thankful for the privilege of walking 
along thy border, bathing in thy billows, and meditating among 
the ruins of the cities on thy shores ! 

My poor dragoman was sick all the way, and as soon as we 
came to Haifa, we went on board a British steamer, Menzale, 
which during the night brought us to Jaffa. At 5.20 the boat 
anchored outside of the coast, The landing proved to be very 
easy. I showed them my tesquere and that was sufficient. 



[382] 



Chapter XVIII 

EXCURSIONS TO MIZPAH, EMMAUS, GIBEON, AND 

RAMA 

HAVING brought my dragoman home to his residence, I 
spent the rest of the day at the American colony, at- 
tending to my correspondence. The 5th of October I planned 
to visit the Biblical places to the northwest from Jerusalem, 
and I was compelled to get another dragoman. Mr. Aboosh 
arranged matters so that a Christian Arab now became my 
guide to these places. He was a member of the German Lu- 
theran church in Jerusalem, and his name was Nicola Aweis. 
He took the place of my dragoman and he was a very good sub- 
stitute. 

At seven o'clock in the morning Mr. Aweis came to the 
American colony with three horses and a boy to take care of 
them. Our first goal was Nebi Samwil. We rode out along 
the valley of Jehosaphat towards the northwest, and we had 
gone about 20 minutes when we came to the tombs of the 
Judges. Here we dismounted and came nearer to examine 
these graves. I went into the one that was cut out in the best 
manner and found that the first chamber, which was about 
20x20, had a number of small niches along the walls. Through 
smaller openings in the walls you can enter into other tombs in 
the hill, and underneath the floor in the first chamber there is a 
room. 

From these tombs we rode on through valleys and over 
hills. To the west of Jerusalem we saw Ain Karin, the birth- 
place of John the Baptist. Further west is Kulonie. Riding 

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on about one and a half hours we were right opposite Nebi 
Samwil. This time we did not go up to. the top, but continued 
to El-Kubeibe, the old Emmaus. Before we came to this place 
we rode on the northeast edge of a very deep valley. My drag- 
oman said to me, "This is the valley, where the two disciples 
were walking along, when Jesus drew nigh and spoke to them." 
This was not a very good road to come along. Sometimes it 
was so steep that we had to lead our horses. We saw two 
heights northwest from Jerusalem, where the Crusaders had 
built fortresses, which were now crumbled to pieces. In two 
and a half hours we came to El-Kubeibe, which is located on 
an incline on the south side of Ajalon's valley. We went to the 
cloister. The monks received us very kindly, and we had din- 
ner with them. This place, which consists of a few hundred 
inhabitants, is about three score furlongs distant from Jerusa- 
lem. This distance corresponds to the story in the Bible. Jose- 
phus writes that there was a certain Emmaus three score fur- 
longs distant from Jerusalem, and the Emperor Titus gave 
this to 800 soldiers (Bell. Jud. 7: 6: 6). We are not informed 
where this place was located. Now there is a place called 
Emmaus at the western end of the valley of Ajalon, below 
Bethhoron, but this place cannot be the right one, because that 
place was 160 stadia from Jerusalem. One of the Crusaders, 
Fulcher from Chartres (1125), writes, "the following morning 
the army of the Crusaders broke up from Nicopolis, and had 
Gibeon, which is fifty stadia from Jerusalem, on the left side, 
and drew nigh the city." Even then Emmaus was called 
Nicopolis. All this evidence points to El-Kubeibe. 

I believe that this is the right place, and that it was to this 
village the disciples went, when the unknown man came nigh 
and told them, how Christ must suffer and enter into His glory. 
Surely this was a peculiar stranger, and no wonder that the 

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disciples, when He pretended that He wished to go further, 
constrained Him and said, " Abide with us for it is toward 
evening, and the day is far spent. And He went in to tarry 
with them. And it came to pass, as He sat at meat with them, 
He took bread and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. 
And their eyes were opened, and they knew Him ; and He van- 
ished out of their sight" (Luke 24: 29-31). I read this 
Scripture lesson here in Emmaus, and thought of those two dis- 
ciples. The same Saviour was present there and I could firmly 
believe this consoling fact. While the monks were preparing 
dinner, we went out and observed the peculiar herbs and 
bushes found in their yard. Then a monk brought us into 
a church, which looked very old. There were quite a few 
monuments in this church, and we looked them over very care- 
fully. At ten minutes past twelve we started out again, and 
our next goal was Nebi Samwil, or Mizpah. At half past one 
we were at Mizpah. Towards the west we saw the Mediter- 
ranean sea and the plain of Sharon, in the northwest we 
observed Upper and Lower Bethhoron, which are located on 
hills close by a deep valley. Near by in the valley on a hill is 
Gibeon, and near this, the plain on which Joshua fought the 
armies of the Amorites. Further north we see Ramallah, Bee- 
roth, and towards the northeast Ramah and Ophrah on their 
heights; on the other side of the Jordan we ovserve the moun- 
tains of Moab and in the southeast, Jerusalem, and beyond this, 
Beth-Lehem. This place is 100 feet higher than Jerusalem and 
here are immense ruins from bygone days. The Crusaders 
have left quite a few monuments. Mizpah, which means 
watchtower, was a gathering place for all the tribes on the 
west side of the Jordan, and is spoken of together with Gibeon 
and Ramah (Jos. 18:26). Upon this height the tribes 
gathered together from Dan to Beersheba, when the crime was 

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committed at Gibeah in Benjamin (Jud. 19). During the 
course of time this was a place where prayer was offered 
(I Mace. 3:46). Here in Mizpah Samuel judged Israel, when he 
had arranged for a meeting with the people. In Mizpah, 
Bethel, and Gilgal he judged Israel annually. Here a king was 
chosen for Israel (I Sam. 10: 17-19). King Asa (916-919) for- 
tified this place, having gathered stone and logs from Ramah. 
The prophet Hosea is rebuking the priests of Israel and the 
house of Judah, because they have become a snare on Mizpah, 
and a net upon Tabor (Hos. 5:1). From this we can draw 
the conclusion, that idolatry was practised at Mizpah also. 
When Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem, he arranged to 
have a governor over the land of Judah, and Gedaliah, who 
lived here at Mizpah, was chosen. He was killed by a certain 
Ishmael (II Kings 25: 22-25). From this grand hill we looked 
over the vicinity very carefully, and then descended into the 
valley, where Gibeon is located. This place is quite near, and 
is now called El-Djib. This village is built on a hill, which 
is surrounded by a plain or valley, and towards the west a 
larger plain extends westwards towards the valey of Ajalon. 
On this plain Joshua fought in the memorable combat with the 
Canaanites. During this battle Joshua prayed, "Sun, stand 
thou still upon Gibeon ; and thou, moon, in the valley of Ajalon. 
And the sun stood still, and the moon staid, until the people 
had avenged themselves upon their enemies" (Jos. 10: 12-13). 

Gibeon was one of the capital cities of the Hivites. The 
Gibeonites were satisfied to be hewers of wood and drawers of 
water for the congregation, and for the altar of the Lord, 
even unto this day, in the place which he should choose (Jos. 
9: 27). Here was the tabernacle in the time of David and 
Solomon, while the ark was brought from Kirjath-Jearim to 
Jerusalem (I Chr. 16:39; 21:29; II Chr. 1:3-4). To this place 



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Solomon came and sacrificed 1,000 burnt offerings, on an altar, 
located on a height. Here in Gibeon he had a dream, in which 
God promised him wisdom, which he asked for, and besides 
this he received riches and glory, which he did not ask for 
(I Kings 3 :4-15). At present Gibeon is a little village with low 
houses, made of clay and stone. We rode by this place on the 
east side, and continued in the valley towards the northeast, 
passing hills and valleys, and in the afternoon we came to 
Ramah, which is located about fifteen minutes walk to the east 
of the road which goes from Jerusalem to Bethel and Nablous. 

When we came to Ramah, which is located on a hill — 
Ramah signifies "height" — we rode through this dingy village, 
consisting of only a few houses. Around the top of hill are 
a number of graves and caves in the rocks, and the whole gives 
an impression that this must have been quite a town in bygone 
days. We came to a house called Samuel's. In front of it sat 
half -naked Arabs, and poverty and misery was imprinted upou 
their whole appearance. 

Ramah is also called Ramathaim Sophim, which really 
means the "Double Height of the Suphites." Suph was one of 
Samuel's forefathers, and came from Bethlehem or Ephratah. 
After him this place is called "Land of Zuph" (I Sam. 9: 5). 
Here Samuel was born, and here he established a prophet 
school. Here he lived, and Ramah is therefore called "his own 
city." 

Opinions differ as to where the ancient Ramah is to be 
sought. This city is mentioned not less than fourteen times, 
and all in the first book of Samuel. Some have contended that 
Samuel's Ramah is Nebi Samwil, while others believe that it is 
Er-Ram. But according to this opinion, it is rather difficult to 
explain how Samuel could come from Er-Ram to Gibeah and on 
that road pass by Rachel's tomb. A third group hold that 

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Ramallah is the Ramah of Samuel. Now this Ramah is located 
about seven miles north of Saul's Gibeah. A fourth group, on 
the other hand, think that Herodion or the Mountain of the 
Franks is the right Ramah. There are others who have pointed 
to other places, but with very little reason or historic ground. 
According to the very best authorities we can explain away the 
difficulties, if we consider Er-Ram for Samuel's Ramah. The 
view from this place is excellent in every direction, and it was 
a treat to be permitted to behold the historic surroundings. 
Standing there I thought of the godfearing mother, who with 
her son went up to Shiloh to give him to the Lord. This story 
tells us what a mother in the fear of God can do, when she has 
opened her heart and bcome a helpmate in the hands of the 
Master. 

From Ramah we continued in a southeasterly direction, 
and came near Anata, the Anathoth of Jeremiah. As we rode 
along, we came a little distance to the west of Anata, and had 
a good view of the little village towards the northeast of Mount 
Scopus, and three and a half miles from the Holy City. Here 
Jeremiah lived and here was his home from his earliest days 
(Jer. 1:1; 29:27). From here we rode up to Mount Scopus, 
and went back into the city along the western road, stopping 
at the Jaffa gate, where the "mule-boy" took care of the horses. 



[ 388 ] 



Chapter XIX 
JOURNEYS IN PHILISTIA 

MY dragoman was still sick, and as I could not have Mr. 
Aweis with me on my intended journeys, because he was 
to go with another tourist, I engaged another man, who also 
was to act as my guide under the contract with Mr. Aboosh. 
His name was Mr. S. Johnson, a captain who had been in America 
for some time, and was a Jew by birth. The sixth of October at 
seven o'clock my new dragoman came to the American colony 
with three horses and a merry little boy by the name of Ibrahim. 
This boy was a lively chap, and although he was not quite twelve 
years old, he was well at home in his business. At this time we 
rode through the new town, which extends towards the north- 
west from the Jaffa gate. This part of Jerusalem has grown dur- 
ing the last few decades, and it is still growing, because a throng 
of Jews is moving in from various parts of the world. Here, 
particularly, you will notice that the Jew is returning to the 
land of his fathers. Here they buy lots and build houses, and 
the development has been very rapid. But the street, which 
we followed, proved to be very dingy looking. Our road led 
us westward from Jerusalem over the hills, and in half an hour 
we arrived at Ain Karin, the birthplace of John the Baptist, 
according to an ancient tradition. The place is rather small, 
and there is nothing particularly to see, except a church, in whose 
crypt the birth of the forerunner of Christ is said to have taken 
place. In the vicinity of this place is the spring called Ain 
Karin, or the Well of Mary. This place is visited by great 



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throngs of Roman and Greek Catholics, who as pilgrims come 
here from time to time. 

A little to the northwest from here is Kulonie. In the ad- 
jacent valley David is said to have fought the giant Goliath, 
but this tradition is rather weak. According to the very best 
authorities, the right place is pointed out to the southwest from 
Jerusalem, and to the west of Bethlehem. When we came up on 
the ridge to the west of Kulonie, we had a most excellent view 
of the vicinity. Towards the west, to the south of the road, is 
the town of Kir j at el- Aneb, supposed to be the old Kirjath 
Jearim, located about seven miles west of Jerusalem. Kirjath 
Jearim, which means the "wooded city," was one of the cities 
of the Gibeonites, situated on the boundary line between Judah 
and Benjamin. Six hundred of the relatives of the Danites 
came up and encamped at Kirjath Jearim, in Judah, and hence 
this place was called the "Camp of Dan." 

The children of Israel brought the ark of the covenant from 
Beth-Shemesh, at the foot of the mountains of Judah, to this 
city, and here it remained, with the exception of the interval 
during the time of Saul, when it was at Nob, until the eighth 
year of the reign of David, when he brought it up to Jerusalem. 
Thus the ark was here during the time of Samuel, during the 
greater part of Saul's reign, and during eight years of the reign 
of David — in all 70 years. Here on the hill, to the west of the 
town, in the house of Abinadab, his son Eleazar was sanctified 
to keep the ark of the Lord (I Sam. 7:1). Here Israel went 
around on these hills, waiting for the Deliverer and their libera- 
tion from the hands of the Philistines. This village is now called 
Abu Gosh, from the robber chief who had his headquarters here 
at the eastern end of Wady Aly, in the beginning of the nine- 
teenth century. He died in 1818. We passed by his sepulchre 
at the north end of the village. Among other things of interest 



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we might mention a church ruin dating from the time of the 
Crusaders. When we came up on the hill, we had a splendid 
view of the plain of Philistia, Sharon and the Mediterranean 
Sea. Here we met a caravan of camels, loaded with grain for 
Jerusalem and the surrounding towns. The Arabs greeted us 
in such a friendly way, i i Schalom aleichem, " or ' 1 Peace be unto 
you!" Surely this was a very kind greeting from these fella- 
heen here on these mountains, and I reminded myself of the 
men who in the early days of our era went about and said, ' ' Peace 
be unto this house!" 

Having passed by the caravan, we descended into a valley, 
and as we came down the road, we saw a well. Such cisterns 
the pious Mohammedans build along the caravan roads, and in 
this way they wish to make sure of Heaven. Every now and 
then these cisterns are filled with water, so that the thirsty and 
tired wanderer may find a refreshing drink, while he is hasten- 
ing along to his goal. This is a worthy thought, and anyone who 
has been in the Orient knows what it means to find water along 
the way. 

We came at last to the end of the wady. Here is the gate 
of the "valley." At this end of the wady and on the left hand 
side is a cafe and a resting place, and here we stopped to take 
dinner and rest in the shadows. We are now in that part of the 
Holy Land called Shefelah, or the foothills. This place was 
very disagreeable, and for this reason we did not go into the 
house, but remained outside all the time. Having rested a little 
after dinner, we continued, and Captain Johnson had to pay 
four piasters for the water which we and the horses had used. 
Following the way, we soon came to another valley, which runs 
down on the plain. This is the Ajalon Valley. Here is the 
Lower Bethhoron. A little farther east is the Upper Bethhoron. 
Here was the main road in the early days, and here the ancient 



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warriors went back and forth. Solomon built Bethhoron the 
upper, and Bethhoron the nether, with walls, gates and bars 
(II Chron. 8:5). The Jews have won great victories in this 
part of the Land of Promise. When Joshua broke up with his 
warriors from Gilgal he marched all night and won at Gibeon 
a glorious victory over the Canaanite kings, and pursued them 
on the way to Bethhoron and subdued them. Here in this 
vicinity Judas Maccabee won a decisive victory over the 
Syrian general, Nicanor, who fell here, and somewhat later he 
won a victory over the general of Antiochus Epiphanes, Seron, 
165 B. C. Here Cestius Gallus suffered a humiliating defeat 
in the beginning of the Jewish war, 66 A. D. This war closed 
with the destruction of Jerusalem and the captivity of the Jews 
in the exile that is lasting yet. The ancient towns are recognized 
in the two villages, the Upper and the Nether Beith-Ur. A little 
way farther on we came to a road which led towards the right 
and turned behind a hill. Here at the foot of the mountains of 
Judah is the old Nicopolis. This village is often spoken of in 
Josephus and in I Maccabees. This town was burned by the 
governor of Syria, Varus, 4 A. D. We are not able to determine 
whether it was rebuilt at the death of Christ or not. Emperor 
Vespasian built a fort here, so as to be able to guard the road 
to Jerusalem. This fort was erected in 69 A. D, and from this 
place the fifth legion, which the Emperor Vespasian at the com- 
mand of Titus stationed here, went up to Jerusalem to besiege 
this city. A Christian writer of history, by the name Julius 
Africanus, rebuilt this place and called it Nicopolis, 223 A. D. 
Here is a fountain whose water had healing qualities, because 
Christ, according to the ancient legend, washed His feet in it 
after His wandering Easter day. Julian the Apostate stopped 
up this fountain. 

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- We follow the road and see towards the right a hill, where 
there are some ruins. This is Latrum. Here the Crusaders 
built a fort. Here was the home of the penitent robber who was 
crucified with the Saviour. Farther north on the same hill is a 
convent and a church, and the cattle of the monks are wandering 
around the hills and the valleys. To this place we follow the 
Valley of Ajalon, and here on the plain it ends. 

We are now on the wide plain and see to the left of us 
quite a distance ahead Tell el-Djasar, on a hill. Here was the 
ancient Gezer, of which we have spoken before. The plain of 
Sharon lies before us, extending towards the northwest, and 
towards the southwest is the plain of Philistia. Right ahead of 
us is Ramie, whose white houses glimmer between the green 
leaves. This is the goal for the day. At half past three we were 
there. The hotel was closed and the hotelkeeper was away. 
There are very few tourists at this time of the year. Quite 
near it was a Jewish inn; here we were well received, and 
stopped over night, but the place was not very clean. 
We had no other choice and did the best we could. When we 
had rested awhile, we went out to see the bazaars, and found 
them rather insignificant and very dirty. 

Here at Ramie is a mosque that used to be a Christian 
church during the time of the Crusades. When we returned to 
our lodging house, my dragoman bought a hen, which he left 
to the lady of the house to prepare for supper. In the evening 
we attended a festivity, arranged by Jews who came together 
at the inn. They were dressed in rather odd suits and read 
responsively in their Hebrew Bibles and other books. When I 
had seen the Jewish program to the end I went to bed, but slept 
very little that night for my bed was not very good. In the 
morning of the 7th of October at seven o'clock we were ready 

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to depart, and the first object of the journey was Ashdod, which 
at present is called Ashdud. 

Riding along the plain for some time, some Arabs joined 
ns, and my guide was very pleased, because he knew that the 
places we were to pass were by no means safe. We might be 
attacked any time. The prairie here in Philistia is very rolling, 
and the Beduin robbers would have a safe retreat in these 
valleys. Our Arab companions followed us for some time, and 
then they turned to the left. Here we met caravans and the 
camels were very heavily loaded with grain, which they were 
bringing to the larger cities. We met quite a few women who 
were tattoed very much, and they had large veils which did not, 
however, resemble those used by the Turkish women. The 
women here in Philistia have a round, hollow piece of wood 
with brass rings in it on the forehead, and these rings extend 
down to the nose. They have besides, some silver coins hanging 
from the ears, and bracelets of various kinds decorate their 
arms. The garments remind us very much of those used in 
Egypt. 

At a little distance from Ramie, or Arimathea, is a Russian 
Jewish colony. Here is another one of those Jewish colonies, 
which have been established of late, and which will, no doubt, 
mean a great deal for the future of Palestine. This colony is in 
a very good condition. They take good care of their plantations, 
and here they can bring in most excellent crops, the soil being 
very rich. Here we saw orange groves, vineyards and other 
plantations; and these gave us a very good impression. Our 
road brought us nearer and nearer to the coast, and at half past 
ten we came to the ancient Jabniel, or Jamnia, at present called 
Jabne. This village, which is located on a ridge to the east of 
the road that passes from Jaffa to Gaza, consists of clay huts 
with roofs of grass. There are about 5,000 inhabitants here 



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and they live in poverty and misery. Under some trees that 
gave a good shade we settled down and had our dinner. Near by 
our resting place there was a well, and a horse was working 
along and drawing up water by means of a wheel. Such arrange- 
ments we saw very often here in this land of the Philistines. 
This city was really a boundary town between Judah and Philis- 
tia, and is mentioned already in the time of Uzziah. Then this 
place belonged to Philistia, but Uzziah went forth and warred 
against the Philistines, and broke down the walls of Gath, and 
the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod (II Chron. 26:6). 
In this connection the name of this place is somewhat changed. 
Josephus says that Jamnia was located within the tribe of Dan. 
Here was a garrison during the time of the Maccabees, and 
Georgias as the highest commander won a complete victory over 
the Jewish troops, who lost two thousand soldiers, and fled to 
the boundary line of Judah (Jos. Hist, 12:8:6). On the north 
side of the town runs the River Rubin in the Wady Rubin. This 
river flows into the Mediterranean Sea, a little to the northwest 
from here, and here was a harbor which was called Majunia. 
The word is Coptic and means harbor. To the south of the river 
by the sea are some parts of this harbor, which is now called 
Minet Rubin. During the time of the Maccabees this town of 
Jamnia was a place of some prominence. "When Judas Mac- 
cabeus had found out that a dastard treachery had been per- 
petrated against the Jews at Jaffa — when about two hundred 
persons had been persuaded to board a ship and were taken out 
into the sea and drowned — he went down to the harbor of 
Jamnia and burnt the ships and the houses at the wharf. The 
fire was so great that it was seen at Jerusalem, a distance of 
two hundred and forty stadia (II Mace. 12:9). This took place 
164 B. C. We read in the Talmud that the great council of the 
Jews, or the synedrium, moved to Jamnia, before Titus com- 



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menced to besiege the city of Jerusalem, and in this way these 
men escaped the fate of the people of this doomed place. During 
the time of Gamaliel the Younger (116) this place, Jamnia, came 
into great prominence. This man was the grandson of Gamaliel 
(52), the teacher of Saint Paul, and is buried here. His tomb 
was shown here in the fourteenth century. But the Rabbinical 
School, which for some time had a great name, became dissolved 
by the Romans. Very early Christianity came to these sections. 
At the meeting of Nice a bishop from this town was present, 
and even in the days of the Emperor Justinian, Jamnia had a 
bishopric. This place has had the same fate as so many other 
towns in the Turkish Empire. The government is too poor. 
Otherwise there are resources here and the people in this part 
of the Holy Land could thrive and nourish. These prairies are 
as good as they are anywhere, and great crops could be harvested 
here. The harbor, which was considered to be one of the best 
on the Syrian coast, is at present in a very poor condition, but 
could be rebuilt and an extensive shipping to foreign lands 
could be established. Here at Jamnia, which is located 170 feet 
above the sea, is a most excellent view of the plain of Philistia, 
and the mountains of Judah towards the east. Directly east of 
here is the agricultural colony Akir, the ancient Ekron, one of 
the mighty cities of the Canaanites. 

After resting a little while, we continued our journey along 
the main road over this naked and dry plain, and at three o'clock 
we came to Ashdod. Here and there along this lonely and 
desolate way we met Arabs who rode on camels, and on the hills 
there were some who tended their flocks. The sun was very 
warm and it was no wonder that this plain was dry and scorched. 
To me it was a question as to how the poor animals could get 
anything to maintain their life on these barren heaths. Ashdod, 
which was called Azotus during the time of the Greek and 



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Roman supremacy, is a very old city, and was one of the five 
great cities of the Philistines. It is located on a ridge near a 
sandhill, brought hither from the shore by the windstorms. The 
old place was located on the same place, but deeper down. When 
the Philistines had taken the ark of the covenant from the 
Israelites in the time of Samuel, they brought it from Eben- 
Ezer to Ashdod, and placed it by the side of their god, Dagon, 
in their temple. Dagon was the idol of the Philistines, and its 
front part looked like a human being, but the hind part was like 
a fish. In the morning they found their god thrown down upon 
his face with hands and head cut off. The hand of the Lord was 
heavy upon them and they were constrained to bring back the 
ark to the land of Israel; and so they brought it back to Beth- 
Shemesh, at the foot of the mountains of Judah. But of this 
we have spoken before. The worship of Dagon continued to the 
time of the Maccabees (Mace. 10 :83; 11:4). This city, which 
was given to the tribe of Judah, was not taken before the time 
of David. When the land was divided, Philistia became an inde- 
pendent country. 

Sargon, the king of Assyria, sent Tartan to 'Ashdod, and he 
captured it (Is. 20:1). The city remained in the hands of the 
Assyrians until the king of Egypt, about one hundred years 
later, having besieged this place for twenty-nine years — the 
longest siege in the history of the world — captured it. 
After the captivity Jewish men married women of Ashdod. 
Nehemiah contended with them and rebuked them, cursed and 
smote them, plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, 
saying: "I shall not give your daughters unto their sons, nor 
take their daughters unto your sons, or for yourselves" (Neh. 
13:23-25). Ashdod was plundered by Judas Maccabeus, and 
was burnt by his brother Jonathan. Under Pompey it became 
a Roman province, and was rebuilt by Gabinius (Jos. Hist. 

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14:3:3). Herod willed this town to his sister Salome (Jos. Hist. 
17:8:1). 

The deacon Philip during the persecution in Jerusalem 
came hither and preached in all the cities until he came to 
Caesarea (Acts 8:40). Later on in the history of the Christian 
church there was a bishopric here and its bishop attended sev- 
eral synods of the oecumenical church. We came here quite 
early in the afternoon, and as I did not feel very well, I deter- 
mined to remain here till the next morning. We rode through 
the miserable looking streets, until we came to the southeastern 
part of the town, and here we put up at a certain hotel. The 
hotelkeeper was not at home just then, but his Arab servant 
received us very kindly, and killed a chicken for supper. He 
gave us a room in the upper story, but we could not rest because 
of the flour mill that was running in the neighborhood. The 
houses are all only one story high, with roofs of grass. The 
town gives a very poor impression, has 2,000 inhabitants, and 
nothing particular to show the tourist. Even this place is about 
three miles from the sea, and would not be worth while visiting, 
if it were not for its ancient history. 

In the morning, October 8th, I arose at 6 o'clock and did 
not feel well. I had a severe headache, but there was no physician 
and consequently nothing else to do but to go ahead. We left 
Ashdod at seven o'clock in the morning, and as we rode along 
the awful looking streets, we saw how the people were sleeping 
along the houses in all kinds of rags. The plain which we crossed 
on our way to Gaza was quite rolling, but the soil appeared to be 
very rich. There would be homes for thousands of people if this 
soil were taken care of. I understood better than before why 
the Philistines had established themselves so well here, and why 
the Israelites fought so valiantly to get possession of this plain. 
While we are riding along to our goal, Gaza, we wish to recall 



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something about Philistia. It is bounded on the west by the 
Mediterranean Sea, the east by the majestic mountains of Judah, 
on the north by Sharon, and on the south by the boundary of 
the land of Canaan. The whole of this level plain is one of the 
most fruitful parts of the land of Palestine. 

But whence did the Philistines come ? They possessed the 
land long before the Israelites came into Canaan. In regard to 
this question opinions thus far have been divided. There seems 
to be reason for the belief that they came from some of the 
islands of the Mediterranean Sea, and that they for some time 
lived in Lower Egypt. Later on they moved up to Philistia, 
drove away the Canaanites and made themselves masters of the 
country and thus settled there. Because of this they are called 
Philistines, which means simply immigrants They must have 
immigrated before the time of Abraham, because "he made a 
covenant at Beer-Sheba with Abimelech and Phichol the chief 
captain of his host, and they returned into the land of the 
Philistines. And Abraham sojourned in the Philistines' land 
many days" (Gen. 21: 32, 34). The Philistines were Hamites, 
and their history is closely connected with the children of Israel. 
Prom the Bible we find how much they had to do with the Israel- 
ites, both during the time of the Judges as well as in the time 
of the Kings. Very bitter feuds were fought, and it seems that 
the fire of hatred did not quench until after the Babylonian 
captivity. When the Israelites returned from the captivity they 
intermarried, and this seems to prove that there was an end of 
the long enmity between them. 

As I was meditating on these things we came to a well. 
Up there in a peculiarly constructed house sat an Arab — perhaps 
we had better call him a Philistine — and was tramping up water 
from a well by means of a water-wheel. The water flowed in a 
large reservoir. We led our horses to this and they drank with 



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relish, and so did we. We continued along the plain, but we 
became very thirsty again, and then we saw in the distance one 
of those houses which pious Mohammedans erect to merit Heaven. 
This well was by the wayside, and we hurried our horses on 
and came at last to this cistern, but it proved to be one of those 
broken ' 1 cisterns which give no water. ' ' Thirsty and despondent 
we rode on until about eleven o'clock, when he came to a chan 
or an inn. Here we lay down in the shadow under some trees, 
and took dinner, which we had brought along from Ashdod. At 
one o'clock we were in the saddle again, and rode along the 
great plain. The nearer we come to Gaza, the nearer the road 
leads us to the sea, and extended ridges run from north to south 
for some miles. At about five miles from the city of Gaza I 
commenced to be sick and feverish. The last three miles seemed 
to be almost endless, and it looked to me as though we would 
never reach our goal. At last we noticed some houses between 
the trees ; in a few minutes some minarets stuck up their points 
among the palms and trees, and in about a quarter of an hour 
we were at the largest city in Philistia, Gaza. We watered our 
thirsty horses in a cistern in the middle of the city, and then 
we went to the southwestern part of the town to the English 
mission station. How happy I felt that I had the privilege to 
be in a hospital and under the care of a Christian physician! 
I thanked God with my whole heart that such a privilege was 
my lot. 

My sickness kept me in bed, and here I was compelled to 
remain for five days. Most of the time I was sick and could not 
be up and about. The 11th of October I arose at six o'clock, but 
that good and kindhearted Doctor Sterling forbade me to go, 
and I did wise in obeying him, as I was yet very weak. I sent 
my dragoman, Captain Johnson, to Jerusalem, and determined 
to stay here at the hospital for some time. 



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The 13th of October I felt somewhat better, and went out 
to see the town. Gaza, which means ' 'fortress," differs from 
many other cities in this country in this respect, that it has a 
successive history, which extends back at least 1500 years B. C. 
This place is spoken of in the Tell el-Amara tablets, which date 
from the fourteenth century. The city of Gaza is about three miles 
from the sea, and had a very good harbor formerly. In Genesis 
10:19 we read of the boundary lines of the Canaanites from 
Sidon to Gaza. Joshua did not capture this place. Judah did 
so, but it remained for a short time in the possession of this 
tribe (Jud. 3:3). Samson has done a great deal to make this 
place famous. TVhen he was caught in the network of Delilah, 
and when the Philistines got hold of him they brought him to 
Gaza, put out his eyes and made him grind in the mill at the 
prison. 

The prophets declared severe punishments for this city. 
Jeremiah exclaimed, ''Baldness is come upon Gaza" (Jer. 47:5). 
''But I will send a fire on the wall of Gaza, which shall 
devour the palaces thereof" (Am. 1: 7). These prophecies 
have been literally fulfilled. Gaza was located along the main 
road between Egypt and Syria, and great armies marched 
along this place. Among the generals we may mention Alex- 
ander the Great, who in the year 332 marched down to Egypt. 
He besieged this city for the space of five months and at last 
it was compelled to give up. In the New Testament Gaza is 
mentioned only in connection with the story of the deacon 
Philip and Ethiopean eunuch. The angel of the Lord told 
Philip to go from Samaria and down to the road leading from 
Jerusalem to Gaza. It is rather difficult to ascertain which one it 
was, as there are two roads that lead down from Jerusalem 
to Gaza. One of these roads went down to Ramie 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



and then to Gaza ; the other went by Bitir and then down over 
the plain of Philista to Gaza. 

Christianity came very early to this place, but the spirit of 
Heathendom ruled supreme for a long time after that. Gaza 
has about 20,000 inhabitants. There are no walls around the 
city. In the middle of the town on a high ridge is a mosque, 
whose minaret is visible far and wide over this plain. About 
2,000 Christians are found here; the rest are Mohammedans. 
The moral condition among the people is very poor and the 
standard low. Doctor Sterling informed me that there is not a 
single day in the year in which he is not called upon to attend 
some one who has been shot, cut with a knife, or struck in some 
way. Such is the spirit of heathenism. 

Gaza is one of the southernmost cities in Philistia. From 
here it is not far to the boundary line. My plan was to go over 
the desert a day's journey to Beer-Sheba, but I was altogether 
too weak to do this, besides, my dragoman could not secure 
horses and carriage, and I was too weak to ride. This stretch 
of the country is not very safe either. One can easily fall into 
the hands of the robbers. At the suggestion of the Doctor I 
determined to return by way of Jaffa to Jerusalem in a car- 
riage. During my stay in the hospital I had received such 
good care and kind treatment, that I found it very difficult 
to depart from my good Doctor. Commending myself in the 
hands of the Lord, I went away at six o'clock in the morning 
of the 14th of October. A young Christian Arab, Elias Jashan, 
who had been at the mission station during the summer, re- 
turned with me, and he took good care of me during the return. 
The day was somewhat cool and a fresh wind was blowing over 
the plain. We made good time because our Arab coachman 
drove like Jehu. About halfway between Gaza and Ascalon a 
road turns to the west and about two and a half miles from this 



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cross road is the Ancient Ascalon, a city by the sea. In the 
prophetical books this town is spoken of very often. To this 
place Samson came, slew thirty men, took their clothes, and gave 
them to those who had guessed his riddle correctly. In this 
city there was formerly a temple, dedicated to the honor of the 
Syrian Venns, Decerto. In a moment of temptation she was 
deceived, then she threw herself down from a cliff in the city, 
and was changed to such an extent, that she received a woman's 
face and the body of a fish. She brought forth a daughter, 
whom she laid in a dove's nest on a cliff. The doves brought 
food to the child and it grew up, received the name Semiramis, 
and became the queen of Assyria. King Herod was born in 
this city. It is now desolate and no one dwells there. There 
are quite extensive ruins of theaters, temples and cloisters. 

At half past nine we were at Ashdod, and here we rested 
for some time on the outskirts of this village at a well. At 
eleven o 'clock we drove on again and came to Jamnia, and hav- 
ing gone a little further north we rested again, because the 
horses were almost ready to give up. Having followed the 
road along the coast for some time we came to Jaffa at half 
past four. Here we registered at Hotel Hardick, which is lo- 
cated right opposite Thomas Cook & Son. This is a very good 
hotel, and besides it is very reasonable as to prices. A Chris- 
tian spirit seems to be prevailing here. The names of the 
Apostles were written on the doors, and to me this was very 
agreeable. This seemed to me to be a very good idea. Just 
think of the advantage of being permitted to travel among 
Christian people and to come under Christian influence ! 
There is a marked difference between Heathenism and 
Christianity; and if some one is inclined to deny this, let such 
a one travel among heathens and he will see it clearly. 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



The following morning I was at the station with my 
student Jashan and bound for J erusalem, where he was to attend 
the College. Again I had the privilege to see the old Biblical 
places and even this time I observed them very carefully. It 
is very strange with these holy places. There is a certain 
power of attraction in them. At noon my train pulls in at the 
station in Jerusalem, and within half an hour I am at the 
American colony in my room. I thanked God, who had given 
me strength so that I could return. My journey in Philistia 
was finished. My friends in the colony were concerned about 
me, and had intended to send a man to help me return to the 
Holy City. Here in the colony I received excellent care, and in 
a few days I felt better. During this journey I had found out 
that it is so very good to meet with Christian people who can 
extend a helping hand in the hour of need. What would this 
world be anyhow, without the love of Christ, poured forth in 
the hearts of men ! It is no pleasure to be sick anywhere ; and 
especially when you are far away from hearth and home, you 
feel it all the more. 



[404] 



Chapter XX 



TO BETHLEHEM AND HEBRON 
HEN I returned from my journey in Philistia, I was in- 



f V formed that a certain Dr. J. E. Floreen from America 
wished to meet me. I sent word to him and asked him to come 
to my room, which he did ; and behold, there stands Dr. Floreen 
from Salina, Kansas. I was very much surprised to find him 
here, especially as I had not heard that he intended to travel in 
the Holy Land. We were well taken care of by the good 
people in the colony, and had an enjoyable time together in 
their reception room. We determined to go together out in 
the city, which we did. In the forenoon the following day, 
which was Sunday, October 17th, I attended the services in the 
German Lutheran church. The pastor delivered a plain and 
edifying sermon on the text for the day. Quite a few were 
present at the service. This was my last Sunday in Jerusalem 
and also in the Holy Land and I felt rather lonely at this 
thought. From the church I went to the church of the Holy 
Sepulchre, and from, there to the American consulate, whence I 
had a ride to the colony. I was very weak as yet and could not 
stand much walking. Having rested for some time, Dr. Flor- 
een, Mr. H. L. Larson, and I went out to see some of the holy 
places in the city. We went to the Damascus gate and by the 
" Gordon Golgotha," which we observed very carefully. We 
have already noted that this place does not have any evidence 
in its favor. Then we went through the Damascus gate, fol- 
lowing the street that leads down the Tyropaeon valley, and 




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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



when we came to the Via Dolorosa, we turned to the left and 
walked along this street towards the Stephen gate. We must 
now go through the Mohammedan quarter, and came upon one of 
the four hills on which the city is built, — namely Bethzeta- 
Going down the street for some time, we came to a chapel on 
the north side of the street. This belongs to the Sisters of 
Zion, who have charge of a girls' school here in the Holy City, 
Here is an arch built over the street. It is called the "Ecce- 
Homo arch." Near this place Pilate stood when he said about 
the scourged and thorn-crowned Master, " Behold the man!" 
When we came into the chapel, we observed that their altar 
board consisted of a wall, which looked to be very old. From 
this wall the arch, which we had seen on the street, extends, 
and the legend is to this effect, that the Savoiur walked be- 
neath this arch when He carried His cross to Golgotha. One 
of the sisters brought us down into a chapel, which is beneath 
the floor. Some years ago, as they were digging under this 
floor, they found another, made of stone. This is said to be the 
Gabatha, on which Pilate was sittnig, when he condemned 
Christ to the cross. In the floor there were certain peculiar 
inscriptions; and regarding these our guide, Mr. Larson, said, 
"Here the Roman soldiers were playing dice in their leisure 
times." When we had looked through this chapel, we went 
out on the street again. At a little distance to the west of the 
Stephen gate, we turned to the left, and came to the "White 
Brethren," Les Freres Blancs. They work among the Africans 
and belong to the Roman church. Here we were shown the 
pool of Bethesda. The good monks led us down to the water, 
which was quite deep. I put my hand into the water, and 
found it quite lukewarm. I came down to the water on a stair 
along the north side of the dam. Was it here at this dam that 
the Savior walked along, when he attended the Purim festival 



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in Jerusalem, and healed the man, who had been sick for eight 
and thirty years? The location seems to be the right one. 
The dam is not far from the Stephen gate and according to the 
ancient testimonies the Sheepgate was located about on the 
same place. 

At this dam there were five porches, and in these lay a 
great multitude of impotent folk, blind, halt, withered, waiting 
for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a cer- 
tain season into the pool and troubled the water: whosoever 
first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole 
of whatsoever disease he had (John 5: 1-5). Here the Lord 
found a man who had been sick for eight and thirty years, and 
him He healed, so that he took his bed and walked. "We know 
the complaint of the Jews against the merciful Master and the 
outcome of the same. 

When we had seen the pool, we came up again and saw 
the ruins of an ancient church from the time of the Crusades. 
Near the pool is a museum and this is worth while seeing. It 
belongs to the White Brethren. A French monk showed us 
the old relics of various kinds. Quite near here is the church 
of St. Anna, the sister of the Virgin Mary. Tradition says that 
her house was built on the spot where this church is located. 
From this place we walked to the Stephen gate, and looked into 
the temple place, and then went back to the colony. Then 
we observed the various stations which indicate some event in 
the last wandering of Christ to Golgotha. There are fourteen 
such stations. It is clear that nothing definite can be deter- 
mined regarding these places. They are fabricated by the 
Catholics and have no historic value. 

Our wanderings in the city that Sunday afternoon were 
very interesting, and we were very well satisfied with what we 
had seen. As we were to rise early in the morning, we went 

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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



to bed quite early. Monday morning at 7 :30 Dr. Floreen, Cap- 
tain Johnson, and I sat in the carriage which was to bring us 
to Hebron. We passed by the Jaffa gate, where a great throng 
was going back and forth in the morning, went down into the 
Gihon valley, and passed the English hospital for eye diseases. 
Behind this rises the Mount of Evil Council, and to the right we 
have the railroad station. A little further on and we come on 
the plain of Rephaim. Here we have a very good view of the 
whole vicinity. At the southern end of this plain there is a 
well, called Bir Kardismu. It is said that here the wise men 
from the Orient again saw the star which was concealed for 
some time. Another tradition points to this place as the loca- 
tion where the Virgin Mary rested on a rock. To the south of 
this plain there is a mountain ridge called Mar Eljas, and on 
this ridge is a convent by the same name. Credulous monks 
think that this is the mount where the prophet Elijah enacted 
his drama, and that he was on this mountain, when the Lord 
gave him a cake, baked on the coal and a cruse of water 
(I Kings 19:6). When we came on the top of this hill, we saw 
Beth-Lehem in the distance on a ridge surrounded by oleanders, 
fig trees and vineyards. To the right we have Tantur on the 
slope, leaning towards the east. This belongs to the Order of 
Malta. Here is a hospital, supported by the Order of Saint 
John. After a little while we come to a cross road, where one 
of the ways leads to Beth-Lehem, the other to Hebron. On the 
west side of the road is the tomb of Rachel. The Arabs call it 
Kubbet Rahil. When the patriarch Jacob came from Mesopo- 
tamia on the way to Ephrat, Rachel brought forth a son, and, 
having done so, she died. "And Rachel died, and was buried 
in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem. And Jacob set a 
pillar upon the grave : that is the pillar of Rachel 's grave unto 
this day" (Gen. 35:19-20). These events took place here by 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



the roadside. The place has come into the possession of the 
Jews of late, and is considered holy by the Mohammedans, 
Jews and Christians. There have been some additions to this 
tomb now and then, and it is quite large at present. A consid- 
erable cupola is extended over the western wing, and there is 
a court on the eastern. This was built by Moses Montefiore in 
the beginning of the year 1840. Some have wondered whether 
this is the right place or not, but the above quotation from the 
Bible does not leave any doubt as to the correctness of the 
place. Some have believed that I Samuel 10:2 and Jeremiah 
31:15 gives proof to the supposition that the tomb of Rachel 
was located to the north of the Holy City, but we have not been 
able to find any ground for such reasoning in the above Scrip- 
ture passage. In the first quotation we find that the tomb of 
Rachel was located at Zelzah at the boundary line of Benjamin, 
and this is another evidence for the genuiness of the place. In 
Jeremiah the Scripture passage has reference to the Israelites 
in the Babylonian captivity. Just as Rachel lamented her chil- 
dren, because they were no more, so the children of Israel 
lamented because their children were carried into captivity. 
According to our idea there is nothing in these Scripture pas- 
sages which is at variance with the supposition that the tomb 
of Rachel on the way to Beth-Lehem is the correct one. 
Ramah signifies height, and both Beth-Lehem and the tomb of 
Rachel are located on the top of the mountains of Judah. Here 
lamentation and weeping were heard during the captivity as 
well as in the days of Herod. We lingered a little while at 
the tomb, and observed that there is a cemetery nearby. The 
Beduins in the desert of Judah bring their children hither to 
inter them. Every month Jewish pilgrims come to this tomb 
to pray and to lament the death of the old mother in Israel. 



[ 409] 



THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 

From this place we ride along the road which brings us to 
Hebron. A little further on we see Beth-Djala, the old Zelzah, 
which we have referred to above. Here was the burial place of 
Kis, the father of Saul. Here they buried Saul, Jonathan, and 
seven others of the house of Saul (II Sam. 21: 13-14). This 
parcel of land was located in Judah, but belonged to Benjamin. 
As we intended to visit Beth-Lehem on our return to Jerusalem, 
we followed the road and came to the pools of Solomon, a few 
miles south of Beth-Lehem. Here we left the carriage and 
went down to the Pools, which are located to the east of the 
road. Nearby the Pool there is a square building, which looks 
like a fortress. There are three Pools and they are located in 
a valley, facing the east. This is called Wady Urtas. Each 
Dam is located a little higher than the other. There was an 
aqueduct from these Dams to Jerusalem and this city was sup- 
plied with water from this place. These water works are still 
to be seen along the hillsides towards Jerusalem. It is con- 
sidered that the passage in Ecclesiastes has reference to this, 
"I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that 
bringeth forth trees" (Ecc. 2:6). In the rainy season these 
pools are well filled, but in the summer time there is but little 
water in them. 

This was the case while we were there. Very near the up- 
per pool is a spring, but it is locked up from the public. Some 
have supposed, that this is the spring which Solomon refers to 
in the Song of Solomon, where he says, "A garden inclosed is 
my sister, my spouse ; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed ' ' 
(Songs of Solomon 4: 12). When the door to this spring is 
opened, there flows a clear stream of water forth. We were 
walking a long time around these pools, observing them and 
the vicinity. These Dams indicate that in the time of Solomon 
remarkable works of engineering were performed. It was 



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very interesting to see these great reservoirs. They are mute 
witnesses of what the ancient times could bring forth. 

From here you can travel down the valley and in twenty 
minutes you will arrive at Artas, where a very beautiful con- 
vent for nuns has been erected. Further on towards the east 
the mountain of the Franks raises its bare top heavenward. It 
looks like a cone and is about four hundred feet high above the 
surrounding country. On the top are ruins of walls and 
several towers. In the Scriptures this mountain is called 
Beth-Haccerem. "O ye children of Benjamin, gather yourselves 
to flee out of the midst of Jerusalem and blow the trumpet in 
Tekoa, and set up a sign of fire in Beth-Haccerem; for evil ap- 
peareth out of the north, and great destruction" (Jer. 6:1). 
Josephus tells us that Herod the Great built a fortress here. 
The fortress was called Herodion, and a stair with two hun- 
dred steps led to the top. When Herod died in Jericho, he was 
brought up to this place, a distance of two hundred stadia, 
and according to his own wish was buried here. This took 
place in the year 4 A. D. (Bell. Jud. 1: 33: 9). The name 
Franker mountain dates from the last part of the seventeenth 
century. This mountain is now called El-Fureidis, which 
means the little paradise. We now continue on our journey 
from the Pools of Solomon and find very few places of particu- 
lar interest along the road. On a hill to the right of the road 
we see the ruins of Beth-Surs. Here was a fortress in the time 
of the Maccabees, and here the Jews fought bravely for their 
independence. Right opposite this hill we find a well by the 
name of Ain Delwe. A tradition points to this place as the 
spot where Philip baptized the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8). 
This does not seem to be the right place, though, because there 
would be no reason for the Ethiopian eunuch to go this round- 
about way to Gaza. Towards the northeast we see the ancient 

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I 



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Tekoa. Here lived the wise woman, in whose mouth Joab laid the 
words which compelled King David to allow Absalom to return 
to Jerusalem, after he had been a fugutive for three years in 
Syria. From this place came the prophet Amos, who was a 
shepherd. Tekoa, now called Tekua, is located on a hill and 
serves as a watch tower for the community. Further on to the 
left of the road we see the tomb of Jonah on a high hill in a 
village called Halhul. We have had occasion on our journey 
to remind ourselves that the home town of Jonah is Gath- 
Hepher in Galilee, and here in Judea his tomb is located. 

As half past nine we arrive at the spring Ain Arub. In 
all likelihood this spring is very old and must have been here 
in the time of Abraham. Not far from this spring is the house 
of Abraham, Ramet El-Chalil. In a little while we come to 
Chirbet En-Nasara, where the road turns to the west, to the oak 
of Abraham. The road to this oak is very bad, and as I was 
quite weak, I asked my coachman to drive me to that place; 
and he promised to do that, of course with the understanding 
that I would give him bakschisch. In about twenty minutes 
we arrived at the plain of Mamre, at the very old decaying oak. 
About it is a fence of iron, and the place within this palisade is 
filled with rich soil. No wonder that this oak is nearly dry. 
Here on this plain we walked around a long while and could 
hardly realize that I was walking around in the very same plain 
where Abraham, the father of the faithful, was walking 
around, waiting for the fulfilment of the promises. I felt a 
chill pass through my body when I considered, that it was 
about four thousand years since that man of God was walking 
around here. Having photographed this revered oak, which 
by no means dates from the time of Abraham, but may be about 
five or six hundred years old, we left this sacred place and went 
to Hebron. The watchman at the oak wished to have baksch- 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 

isch; but my dragoman asked him what he done to get it, 
and he could not answer anything. In about half an hour we 
arrived at Hebron. The country around Hebron is quite well 
populated. Here we see vineyards, and orchards with watch- 
towers among the trees, where sat the watchmen to take care, 
that thieves may not come and steal. Our road passes down 
among stone walls until we come to Hebron. The street is 
very narrow, but we are able to drive on with our carriage. 
Our coachman drives ahead until he comes to a pool, in the 
neighbourhood of which David hanged the murderers of Mephi- 
boseth. This pool is 130 feet long, 130 feet wide and forty 
feet deep. Near this pool we sat down to eat our dinner. We 
are at Hebron, one of the oldest cities in the world. We may 
be sure that the city of Hebron was here at the time of Abra- 
ham, or about 2,000 years before Christ. Its first name was 
Kirjat Arba, and when this place is mentioned for the last 
time in the Bible it has the same name (Neh. 11: 25). Abra- 
ham came to Hebron, put up a tent in the plain of Mamre, and 
here built an altar (Gen. 4: 13). Here the patriarch was 
visited by the angels and here he instituted the covenant of 
circumsion with Abraham. Here Sarah died and here she was 
buried in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre: 
the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan. • In this cave Abra- 
ham, Isaac, Rebekah, Leah and Jacob were also buried. 

The spies came through this part of the country and cut 
on 3 , in the valley of Eschol, a branch of a vine, a cluster of 
grapes, pomegranates, and figs, and brought these to the Israel- 
ites in their camp at Kadesh-Barnea. Joshua captured 
Hebron, killed its king, and made it one of the six cities of 
refuge. Here David was anointed king of Judah, and when he 
had ruled here for six months and seven days, he was anointed 
king for the whole country. Here it was that Absolom ar- 

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ranged for a meeting with the rebels, and allowed them to 
chose him their king. The king of Judah, Rehoboam, fortified 
the city. After that Hebron is not mentioned before the people 
returned from the captivity. Then some of the captives settled 
in Hebron. The Maccabees captured the city and tore down its 
fortifications. Now the city has no walls, but there are certain 
gates where the main streets lead into the city. In 1167 a 
bishopric was established here, but in 1187, Saladin captured 
it and ever since that time Hebron has been under the sceptre 
of the Turks. The city, which is now called El-Chalil, i. e. 
God 's Friend, after Abraham, whom the Arabs called El-Chalil, 
is located in a valley, which extends from east to west. At the 
east side another valley runs into this from the north. The 
latter valley is now considered to be the valley from which the 
spies brought the fruits of the land. This is called the valley 
of Eschol. The name is still preserved in a spring called Es- 
kali, which is located a little distance north in the same valley. 
The city of Hebron is located in the valley of Hebron and 
extends along the hillside towards the north. In the south- 
western part of this valley is the cave of Machpelah and the 
mosque of Abraham is built over it. This is the greatest monu- 
ment at Hebron and it is very large. This mosque is sur- 
rounded by a wall, which is 200 feet long, 112 feet wide, and 
55 feet high. The walls are about seven or eight feet thick. 
The stones in this wall are quite large, some of them being over 
30 feet long. On each corner are towers, and two of them are 
rebuilt into minarets. Inside of this wall is a building, which 
was built at the time when Hebron became a bishopric. This 
building is 95x70 feet. When the Mohammedans came to the 
power at Hebron, they made some changes in this edifice. For 
sometime after the Mohammedans had gained possession of this 



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territory, Christians were admitted into the mosque, but neither 
Jews nor Christians are now admitted. 

The entrance is on the east side, and as you enter you come 
into a large room. On the north side are the graves of Jacob 
and Leah, and on the south side those of Abraham and Sarah. 
The mosque does not occupy more than about half of the space 
within the outside walls. By arches this building is divided 
into six rooms. In one of the smaller Isaac and Rebekah are 
buried. 

The wall which surrounds the cave and a great deal of the 
cliff in which it is cut out, was built during the time of Herod 
the Great. The inside building is Gothic in form and was 
erected after 1167. The Mohammedan additions to the build- 
ing are from 1331 and 1393. 

There are 15,000 inhabitants in Hebron and these are, with 
the exception of a few hundred Jews, Mohammedans. They 
are very fanatical and the tourist must be careful so as not to 
arouse their fanaticism. The people around Hebron devote 
themselves to agriculture and cattle raising. The people of 
Hebron proper carry on a lively trade. They manufacture 
glassware, leather sacks, and other goods. 

When we had rested for some time by the pool, we visited 
the bazaars and observed the folk life in the city. The streets 
are miserable. You do not find any poorer in the Orient. A 
very bad smell is everywhere noticeable. 

We went up to the mosque of Abraham and walked around 
it, but this proved to be a difficult task, as there were so many 
cactus hedges around it on the north side. We came to the 
entrance on the east side. Here you may enter only to the in- 
ner door of the building, but no further. The Jews are allowed 
to go a little further. At the stair is shown a wailing place for 
the Jews, where they may come to pray and weep. Through 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



a hole in the wall they are permitted to look into the mosque 
where their great ancestors slumber. Not far from the stair 
there is a well called the Well of Abraham. 

"When we had strolled around the town for some time, we 
went back to our coachman, and when we had made some observa- 
tions at the pool, we began our journey back to Jerusalem, at 
about two o'clock. On the way back our dragoman showed us a 
new house to the left of the road upon a hill. John the Baptist 
is said to have been born at that place. The Catholics inform us 
that this stern preacher of repentance saw the light of the day 
in this locality. They show us another place to the west of 
Jerusalem, but you know it is a poor prophet who does not have 
more than one birthplace. There is a keen competition in this 
respect, and they seem to think that the more places they can 
show, the better off they are. 

On our return journey we stopped awhile at Ain Arub, 
so as to give our horses time to rest awhile. They needed it. 
As we travel along we see a town towards the northeast. It is 
Bethlehem. At five o'clock we are at this place and drive along 
its narrow and crooked streets. I wondered if it was a reality, 
or if I was dreaming. Not in the stately palaces of Rome, where 
Emperor Augustus held the scepter, not at Csesarea, where a 
bloodthirsty Herod, under the iron rod of Rome, sat at the helm, 
but in the little town of Bethlehem was the Saviour of the world 
born. Bethlehem, whose first name was Ephratah — which means 
fruitful — was, as the prophet says, "little among the thousands 
of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto me that is 
to be a ruler in Israel, whose going forth have been from of old, 
from everlasting" (Mi. 5 :2). This town was located in the tribe 
of Judah, and is for this reason called Bethlehem of Judah. 
There was another Bethlehem in Zebulon. The name signifies 
house of bread, and is very significant, because in the fulness 



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of time came He who said about Himself, "I am the bread of 
life." 

The country around Bethlehem is very desert-like. East 
of Bethlehem is a fruitful valley, but outside of this, the vicinity 
is rather desolate. Perhaps it was to the east of this city that 
the young man, David, watched the father's sheep, protecting 
them from lions and bears. Because David came from this 
place it has been called the City of David. After the captivity 
there returned to this place one hundred and twenty- three per- 
sons, and after the destruction of Jerusalem, during the time of 
Hadrian, some Jews lived here, but the emperor forbade them 
to remain. During the time of the Crusaders Bethlehem became 
a place of considerable importance. Here they founded a cloister 
and throngs of pilgrims came here to see the birthplace of the 
Saviour. The Emperor Justinian built walls around the town, 
but the Mohammedans tore them down when they came into 
power. 

Bethlehem is located on two ridges, which are connected 
by a third one that extends from north to south about 3,000 feet, 
and about 1,500 feet from east to west. The new houses are well 
built, but the old ones are real hovels. The streets are mostly 
narrow and not very clean. The soil is considered to be very 
fruitful, and around the town you see all kinds of fruit trees. 
There are 11,000 inhabitants in the ancient Bethlehem of Judah. 
Of these, 5,300 are Roman Catholics, 4,000 Greek Catholics, 300 
Mohammedans, 250 Armenians, about 150 Protestants, and about 
50 Copts and Syrians. Most of the people here are Christians, 
and this we observe immediately in their behavior in general. 
Here they manufacture various kinds of trinkets of wood, asphalt 
and other materials. The people in this city are very handy to 
do such things, and from here they export these products to 

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other places, not only within Palestine, but also to foreign lands 
and cities. 

The greatest sanctuary in this place is the St. Mary's Church, 
or the church in which Christ was born. This building is located 
in the eastern part of the city on a limestone cliff. There are 
five naves in this church, and they are separated by pillars 
twenty feet high. St. Mary's Church is the oldest church in 
Christendom, and is built over the stable in which the Saviour 
was born. It is customary even yet to use such places, cut out 
in the hillsides, for stables, where poor travelers may find a safe 
refuge from storm and rain. And into such places they take 
their beasts of burden with them. The church was built by 
Helena, and her son, Constantine, who was emperor over the 
Roman world, completed it (326-333). 

In the eastern end of the church there is a stair that leads 
down to the place of the Nativity. This is a small chapel, only 
38x11 feet. Just as we came down to the floor in this chapel, 
we found a place covered with marble. This is the Grotto of 
the Nativity. Here is an altar where fifteen silver lamps burn 
night and day. Under the altar is a silver star in the floor, and 
on this the following words were written : 1 1 Hie de Virgine Maria 
Jesus Christus natus est" (Here Jesus Christ was born of the 
Virgin Mary). Here is the place where the great wonder took 
place, where the word became flesh and dwelt among us. When 
we come down the stairs and into the Chapel of the Nativity, we 
have to the left a crypt where the manger is said to have been 
located. Everything is made of marble here. The real manger 
is to be found, according to the story of the Catholic authorities, 
in the church Maria Maggiore in Rome. Near the place where 
the manger is supposed to have been is an altar where the wise 
men worshiped the new-born King of the Jews (Matt. 2:11). 
If we go to the Chapel of the Nativity at its western end, we 



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have to the right a well which began to flow for the benefit of 
the Holy Virgin. Here is a narrow passage which turns north- 
ward, and then we come to the Chapel of Joseph. Here Joseph 
kept himself while Jesus was born. A few steps from here is 
the Chapel of the Innocents. Here the children which Herod 
killed were buried, according to the belief of the monks. This 
chapel is very small, and it is a question to me how twenty 
thousand children could have found room in such a small place. 
But that is a question which does not concern the monks. They 
believe these things blindly. Towards the north from the Chapel 
of the Innocents there is a small passage to a chamber where 
the church father, Hierome, is buried. Quite near this one is 
another, where this church father translated the Bible from 
Greek to Latin. This translation is called Versio Vulgata, or 
the general. Of course, we cannot believe all the stories which 
the monks tell us about these holy places. One thing is certain, 
and that is, that Jesus was born in the stable at Bethlehem. It 
was night when the Saviour came to this sinful world, and it 
was night, too, in a religious sense of the word. Darkness cov- 
ered the world, but Jesus, the light of the world, came and with 
His light dispelled the darkness, and thousands have through 
Him found light, life and peace. "The people that walked in 
darkness have seen a great light : they that dwell in the shadow 
of death, upon them hath the light shined" (Is. 9:2). When 
we had seen this historic building, we went out and walked 
around in the city of Bethlehem for some time, and then we 
drove out to see the surroundings of this interesting place. 
On the east side is a valley. In about twenty minutes' walk 
we reached the field of the shepherds. Here the shepherds 
tended their sheep when the angels sang, "Glory be to God on 
high, peace on earth, and good will towards men." Here the 



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Greeks have built a chapel. Here, too, is the field of Boaz to 
be sought. 

It was getting late, the shadows began to grow and in a 
little while darkness broke in. We started on our way back to 
Jerusalem, and drove by the tomb of Rachel, along the road 
on which the wise men from the east traveled in the darkness 
of the night, led by the star, hastening forward over these hills 
with Bethlehem as their goal. It was already dark when we 
passed over the plain of Rephaim. At half past six o'clock we 
were at the American colony. The following day I remained 
in my room, attending to my correspondence and buying some 
souvenirs from Jerusalem. My health was better, and I prepared 
for an excursion to Jericho, the Dead Sea, and the Jordan. 



[ 420 ] 



Chapter XXI 



EXCURSION TO JERICHO, DEAD SEA AND JORDAN 

TUESDAY, the 20th of October, I arose early, as I was going 
to Jericho, the Dead Sea, and the Jordan. This excursion 
takes two days; and now we can go down to this part of the 
country in a carriage, since the government has made a fairly 
good road to these places. This road was made for the German 
Emperor, when he visited the Land of Promise a few years ago. 
The emperor did not go down to these parts of the land, though. 
It was a very beautiful day when we started, and Captain John- 
son served as our guide even during this excursion. At six 
o'clock in the morning he came to the colony with a carriage, 
drawn by three horses. The coachman was an Arab, and he 
drove as I imagine Jehu drove in the southern part of Galilee. 
We came to the Damascus gate, turned to the left and followed 
the wall, passing by the Herod gate, until we came to the north- 
eastern corner. Here we turned to the south for some time, 
and came down into the Valley of Jehoshaphat, passing over 
the bridge that leads over the Cedron Valley. Although it was 
early many were up and about their business. The Mohamme- 
dans do not generally oversleep. 

We now drove along the road that passes around the Mount 
of Olives and down to Bethany. Part of this road I had trav- 
ersed before and was acquainted with the surroundings. Two 
miles from Jerusalem is the little village of Bethany. This is 
located on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, and here 
is a quiet and restful retreat. Hither came the loving Master, 

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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



when He was tired and needed rest, and here He was understood 
and loved by Lazarus, Martha and Mary. Here the Master was 
a guest also in the house of Simon, the leper, when a woman, 
having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, came and 
poured it on His head as He sat at meat (Matt. 26:7). Here 
Christ performed miracles, taught and found rest and recreation. 
Especially do we find Him a guest in the house of Lazarus, 
Martha and Mary. No wonder that Christ withdrew from the 
noise and the turmoil of the city to find a quiet retreat in this 
secluded spot, where He was understood, and where they heard 
Him gladly. At the upper end of the village we see some ruins 
of a church, where the home of Lazarus is said to have been built, 
and at the northern end of Bethany is the tomb of this man. 
About thirty steps towards the south from this tomb we find 
the house of Martha and Mary, and at another place is shown 
the house of Simon, the leper. On our return journey we 
stopped here and observed the tomb of Lazarus, but on this 
early morning we went right on to Jericho. Here from the 
mountain side we see the Dead Sea and the Jordan Valley, 
where the river runs in various bends along the plain, the goal 
for the day. It looked to be so near, but these places are farther 
off than we imagine. The story of the Master about the man 
who went between these places and came into the hands of 
robbers, came before my mind very vividly as our coachman 
drove on rapidly down the denies of the Mount of Olives. My 
dragoman told me that he has met on his way down to Jericho 
persons that shortly afterwards have been shot or cut to pieces 
with knives. No wonder that the tourist feels somewhat timid 
when he is on his way down to these regions. 

When we had gone about an hour down the slope of 
the mountain, our road became very steep, zigzagging along the 
mountain sides and deep valleys. We came to the Valley of 



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El-Hod, at whose western end the Spring of the Apostle is 
located. This spring is called Ain Shemesh, or the Sun Spring, 
and is mentioned in the Book of J oshna, where we read : ' ' And 
the border passed toward the waters of En-Shemesh, and the 
goings out thereof were at En-Rogel" (Jos. 15:7). This spring 
was located on the boundary line of Judah and Benjamin, and 
is called the Spring of the Apostles, because the Apostles drank 
from its waters when they went up and down this road. The 
Saviour no doubt rested here and drank from this spring. Near 
by is a cafe, where the tourists may rest as they return from 
Jericho. A little farther down the road is the place where the 
good Samaritan found the wounded man and brought him to 
the inn, or chan. 

Soon we arrived at the Chan El-Hatrur, or the Inn of the 
Good Samaritan. Here are a crude hotel and a Turkish post 
office. This hotel is the only chan on the way down to Jericho, 
and perhaps this is the one referred to in the story of Christ 
about the good Samaritan. On a hill northeast of this chan is 
a ruin of a fortress from the Middle Ages. Here we rested for 
awhile and observed as carefully as we could the surroundings ; 
then we continued and in half an hour we were at Wady El-Kelt, 
to the left of the road. Even in the summer time there is little 
water in this valley. Many have considered this brook to be 
the Cherith of Elijah, and even my guide pointed towards this 
romantic valley and exclaimed: "Here the prophet Elijah kept 
himself, because here is the brook Cherith." I told him that this 
is not in accordance with facts, because we read in the Scriptures 
that the brook Cherith runs from the east into Jordan (I Kings 
17:5). But he insisted, nevertheless, that the brook Cherith 
was flowing in this valley, and then I opened the Bible and 
showed him the words of the Scriptures and added: "If the brook 



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flows from the east into the Jordan, we certainly cannot find it 
on the west side of the river/' Then he gave in. 

We are now in the desert, Quarantania, or the desert in 
which Jesus was tempted by the devil. A more ugly looking 
country than this I had never seen before. Here are deep valleys 
and barren mountains, where huge masses of rocks are thrown 
together helterskelter. If the Saviour was tempted here by the 
devil, it was a great contrast between His place of temptation 
and the one where Adam was tempted. 

In this wild desert the road turns in every possible — I had 
almost said in every impossible direction — until we come down 
to the plain. Along the road we find caves in the cliffs, and 
these tell us that hermits have come to these desolate regions 
to find a quiet refuge and to spend their time in prayer and 
religious meditation. 

When we came down on the plain of Jericho, we saw Mount 
Nebo due east from the northern end of the Dead Sea, in the 
land of Moab. It looked to be very near and yet it is quite a 
distance off. On yonder mountain the man of God, Moses, stood 
when he looked into the Land of Promise, the land which 
his people should occupy in days to come. 

It took some time before we came to the wretched village, 
Er-Riha, the old Jericho. Both names signify ■ 'sweet scent," 
and this town is rightly so called, because of the abundance of 
flowers on this plain. Jericho is also called the Palm City, be- 
cause of the palm groves in the vicinity. The history of Jeri- 
cho is full of changes. The first time we hear of it in history 
is when the Israelites under the leadership of Joshua, captured 
it from the Canaanites. Here lived Rahab, who received the 
spies and was afterwards, with her relatives, spared, when the 
town was captured. Joshua authorized his people to take the 
following oath, "Cursed be the man before the Lord that riseth 



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up and buildeth this city, Jericho ; he shall lay the foundation 
thereof in his first born, and in his youngest son shall he set up 
the gates of it" (Jos. 6: 26). It must not have been desolate 
very long, because in the times of the Judges it was taken by 
Eglon, king of Moab (Jud. 3. 13). Later on we read in I Kings 
16: 84. that in the time of Ahab (91S-896 B. C.) the Bethelite, 
Hiel rebuilt it. But when he laid its foundation it cost him his 
oldest son Abiram. and when he put up its gates, it cost him 
his youngest son Segub, in accordance with the word which the 
Lord had spoken through Joshua, the son of Nun. In spite of 
the promised condemnation it was rebuilt and a school for the 
prophets was established in the time of Elijah and Elisha. 
Fifty of the sons of the prophets followed these two prophets 
to the Jordan when Elijah ascended to heaven and they re- 
turned with Elisha to Jericho. The Old Testament Jericho was 
located at the Fountain of Elijah whose water he made sweet 
by throwing salt into it (II Kings 2: 19-22). Josephus writes 
that the fountain was located nearby the old town and there on 
the east side of the ruins it is still flowing. The present-day 
Jericho is about fifteen minutes distance south of the old place. 
That Jericho, which is spoken of in the New Testament, was lo- 
cated about half a mile south of the present Jericho by the road 
which leads to Jerusalem, and near the valley which runs down 
from the desert of Quarantania. There are still some ruins here. 
Herod the Great fortified the city, and also built a stadium or 
athletic field. Here he imprisoned some of the prominent men of 
the country and commanded his sister to kill them in order that 
there might be weeping and lamentation at his death. He 
well knew that otherwise no one would lament him when he 
was dead. Here in Jericho he spent most of his time in his de- 
clining years. He tried to commit suicide, but was prevented 
in this criminal act. Shortly after this he died and his remains 



THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



were brought to the Herodion where they were interred. In 
the time of Christ, Jericho was a city of considerable size. The 
Gospels tell us that He visited Jericho only once and this took 
place at the end of His public ministry, when He passed 
through Jericho, and went up to Jerusalem to attend the Pass- 
over. Jericho became a bishopric in 325. During the Cru- 
sades Jericho was a place of some note, but when the Moham- 
medans came to power, it dwindled down and now it is one of 
the most wretched villages in Palestine. 

When we had arrived at the hotel Bellevue and there left 
our baggage, we drove to the Old Jericho. Along the road we 
saw a great many plantations and orchards, and these gave us 
an idea as to the nature of the soil on this plain. The ancient 
Jericho was recently excavated by the Germans under the 
leadership of Professor Sellin. Here we saw the old walls 
and some of the houses where the ancient Canaanites lived. 
The stones were not large nor especially well trimmed. The 
rooms must have been very small and dark and the streets un- 
usually narrow. I went around among these ruins with my 
dragoman and these hours were certainly very interesting to 
me. The view of the surrounding country is very attractive. 
On the other side of the Jordan we see the mountains of Moab 
and we have a splendid view of the plain of Jericho, the moun- 
tains of Judah, and the Dead Sea. On the west side, not very 
far off, is Djebel Karantel, or the mountain Quarantania. 
Here we see the Wady Kelt, or Cherith, and the convents along 
the mountain sides look like birds' nests. 

Now we must leave Jericho, with its many enjoyable as well 
as disagreeable memories. As I was walking around on the 
fallen walls of J ericho these words came to me as never before : 
"By faith the walls of Jericho fell" (Heb. 11:30). Near by 
is the Pool of the Sultan. It is very beautiful to see the water 



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bubble forth in a vicinity where nearly everything is scorched 
by the sun. 

We returned to the hotel, and at two o'clock in the afternoon 
we journeyed to the Dead Sea and the Jordan. The road to 
those places sometimes led us down into deep ravines. It took 
us just an hour to reach the northern end of the Dead Sea — 
eight miles from Jericho. Having arrived at the sea, I took a 
bath, and this proved a very unusual one. The water is very 
clear, and you can see the bottom far out from the shore. A 
very strong wind blew from the south, and the waves were 
beating against the shore, as though they were of molten lead. 
It is very easy to swim in this water, and if one is not able to 
swim, he need not be afraid that he will sink. I took along 
some water in a bottle, and it was very bitter. 

At the shore of the Dead Sea! What occasion for serious 
meditations do we not have here ! Time and again we have 
heard that the surroundings of the Dead Sea bear the stamp 
of desolation and death, and that is so. The mountains which 
run down to the sea bear the stamp of loneliness itself. In the 
water there is no life. If you put a fish into the water it will 
die in less than a minute. What changes have not taken place 
in this locality ! What a serious reminder of how God punishes 
ungodliness! Sodom and Gomorrah shall stand forth as ex- 
amples of this truth. The name Sodom is still preserved in the 
name Usdum at the southern end of the sea. There is also a 
mountain of salt. This sea is about fifty miles long, about ten 
miles wide, and very shallow at the southern end. Time and 
again pieces of asphalt have come up from the bottom, and such 
pieces are still to be found, although not in such an abundance. 
This asphalt is sold at a great price in the market. This sea 
is called by the Arabs Bahr Lut, i. e., the Sea of Lot. 



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Five times this sea has been investigated. It was first 
studied in 1835 by the Irishman, Castigan. In 1837 this sea was 
carefully investigated by two Englishmen, More and Bleek. 
These men discovered that the Dead Sea is much lower than 
the Mediterranean Sea. It is 1,292 feet below the level of the 
sea. A third explorer was Molyneax. He went down the River 
Jordan in a boat. His fellow travelers were plundered by the 
Arabs, but he returned with his boat to Jaffa in 1848. Another 
explorer was Lynch, who in the same year made an exploration 
tour down the River Jordan and over the Dead Sea. The result 
of this journey was of considerable importance. 

Now we must break away from the Dead Sea and go to the 
Jordan. We have been at the sea a little distance to the west 
of the place where the Jordan enters into it, and now we start 
over the plain towards the northeast, and come to the fording- 
place of the pilgrims. There we found certain boats which are 
kept there for Pilgrims, who may wish to go out on the river. 
The water was so dirty that I did not feel inclined to take a 
bath, although I was in need of washing off the salt which 
stuck to my body from bathing in the Dead Sea. Several times 
before I had been on the banks of the historic Jordan, and I 
was very pleased to be there again. Here John the Baptist 
went about, preaching the baptist of repentance and the for- 
giveness of sins. To this place people came from various parts 
of the land to hear this stern preacher of repentance, and many 
were moved by his words and became baptized. John the Bap- 
tist went to the bottom of things, and preached to high and 
low repentance and forgiveness of sins. No wonder he stirred 
up the whole country with his solemn call to God. Here on 
the banks of the Jordan he saw Jesus, and as he saw Him, he 
said: " Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of 
the world" (John 1:29). John's mission was to prepare the 



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way_ of the Lord, and as a true friend of the bridegroom he re- 
joiced when he saw the people come to Jesus and believe in Him. 
Jesus bore testimony of John, and said of him that he was a 
shining light, and John wished to see the light on the candle- 
stick. But Herod Antipas, although he heard him willingly 
and sometimes conformed to his wishes, began to suspect him, 
and so he put him into prison and finished his career at the 
instigation of a harlot. John the Baptist had said: "It is not 
lawful for thee to take thy brother's wife," and that testimony 
was sufficient. And so he died a martyr in a dungeon — he the 
greatest of those that are born of women. God's ways are won- 
derful. 

For a long time I stood there on the banks of the Jordan 
and reviewed the past events in my mind. I thought par- 
ticularly of Him who here at Bethabara, on the other side of 
the Jordan, was dedicated to His public ministry by the baptism 
of John. It would have been a great delight to see the Master 
as He came walking along these banks. The river is between 
80 and 100 feet wide, and from 5 to 12 feet deep. Here it 
flows down in a deep valley, and in some places the banks are 
quite high. Along the banks there are trees and bushes of 
various kinds. Although the water is very muddy at this ford, 
there are thousands of pilgrims who bathe at this place. Along 
the plain there are many tents, and then the tourist is reminded 
of the time when Israel came over the Jordan under the leader- 
ship of Joshua. There is a great throng of Russian pilgrims 
who come here annually to visit the holy places and to bathe in 
the River Jordan. These pilgrims have saved their money 
from year to year, in order that they might go to the Holy Land. 
Some of them are walking and endure a great deal of hardship. 
They consider it to be a special grace to bathe in the waters 
of the Jordan, and they believe that they become free from their 



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sins if they bathe in this water. It is very interesting to be 
here, because this place has so many holy memories, and besides 
this, it is a place of natural beauty. This river is 134 miles 
long, but owing to the many bends and crooks along its course, 
it is somewhat over 200 miles from Hasbeya to the Dead Sea. 
From the springs at its source it descends about 3,000 feet. 
This river is then lower than any other river in the world. 
No city has, at any time, been built on its banks, and because 
of the many waterfalls, it has not been used for navigation. 
The valley at this fording place is about fifteen miles, and is 
an old lava field. When we came to the bathing place of the 
pilgrims, there stood a great many Americans on the shore, 
silent and meditating. It was an impressive hour. The day 
was drawing to its close. Resting awhile, we drove back to 
Jericho. Our road goes due west over the plain of Jericho. 
In a short time we come to a little hill on the left side of the 
road. It is called Tell Djiljul and is the site of the ancient 
Grilgal. The English Palestine Fund has made this discovery, 
and the location — one and a half miles to the east of Er-Riha — 
corresponds with the testimony of Josephus and of Joshua. Here 
the Israelites erected twelve memorial stones; here they cele- 
brated Passover; here the Prince of the army of the Lord re- 
vealed Himself to Joshua; and here the manna ceased, because 
the children of Israel ate of the fruit of the land. Here at Gilgal 
Joshua circumcised those who had been born during the journey 
in the desert. 

In a little while we are in the village of Er-Riha. Here 
we are again reminded of the most pitiable misery, poverty and 
dirt. Poor human beings who live in such a wretched state! 
At five o'clock we are at the hotel. Tired of the day's journey, 
I went to bed at my earliest convenience, as we planned to rise 
early in the morning to return to J erusalem. But I was not able 



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to sleep at all, because of the hyenas and the jackals, which made 
a fearful noise all the night. On our way to the Dead Sea we 
had seen one of those animals; he seemed very scared and fled 
as fast as he could. On this plain there are also some wild 
boars ; and I pity him who meets with them and has nothing to 
defend himself with. One of the members of the American 
colony was on the point of losing his life at one time on this 
plain, in a combat with one of those brutes. 

The 21st of October we arose at three o'clock, and within 
three-quarters of an hour I was in the carriage on the way back 
to the Holy City. It was so dark that we could not see our 
hands when we extended them in front of us. When we came 
among the hills of Quarantania, my dragoman observed an 
animal right by our carriage. I asked him what it was and he 
answered, "A hyena/' A little farther on in the road we saw 
something else and I wondered what that might be. Were these 
Beduins, watching for prey? A few minutes more and we 
observed a caravan in the streaks of light that began to appear. 
Camels and asses were working their way up to the city on the 
hill. Poor animals! They were very heavily loaded with coal, 
which they had brought from Moab to Jerusalem. We felt 
secure in the company of this caravan in the early morning, 
as we knew that the robbers did not dare to attack so many 
at one time. Hastening along the hills and valleys, we came 
quite early to the Chan of the Good Samaritan. Here we stopped 
awhile and rested our horses. Not far from this chan there is 
a road which the Mohammedans have made to Jebel Musa, or 
the Mountain of Moses. They consider that the tomb of this 
man of God is somewhere among these hills, forgetting that 
Moses died in the land of Moab, on the other side of the Jordan. 
Slowly we came to the Spring of the Apostles. Here we rested 
awhile and then continued to Bethany, or El-Asarje. Here we 



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stopped for some time and went up to the tomb of Lazarus and 
the house of Martha and Mary. There is a long stone stair 
leading down to the real tomb. This tomb has the form of a 
chapel, and on the floor is an excavation, in which the body 
of Lazarus is said to have been laid. The Master stood on the 
outside and spoke those powerful words, "Lazarus, come forth!" 
The dead man came out, although he had been dead for four 
days. Some time we shall all hear the voice of the Son of Man, 
and then we shall come forth from our graves and some shall go 
to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 
The Lord Jesus has by His death hallowed our graves and de- 
prived them of their terror ; and in the name of Christ we can 
say: "0 death, where is thy sting? grave, where is thy vic- 
tory?" (I Cor. 15: 55). 

From Bethany we move along the road and come to the 
southern slope of the Mount of Olives. As we turned back 
I saw for the last time the Dead Sea and the Jordan, and their 
historic surroundings. 

Some time before noon we arrived at the colony and enjoyed 
a needed rest after the interesting excursion. 

The 22nd of October I spent in clearing up my bill with 
my dragoman, and with the good people of the colony. I also 
visited some of the holy places to bid them my last farewell. I 
had enjoyed my visit in the Holy City, and the American Colony 
had helped me in this very much. I had learned to value those 
kind and congenial people. Now I put my things together and 
prepared myself for the departure with a certain regret. No 
wonder that a Christian departs from Jerusalem with sadness. 
My longing was satisfied: I had knelt on Golgotha and in the 
Holy Sepulchre. With a heart full of feeling I had sat in the 
Garden of Gethsemane and there read of His battle with the 
tempter, and on Moriah I had been walking about and seen the 



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place where the temple stood. From the Mount of Olives my 
eyes looked down upon the surroundings, which, with their holy 
places, have no parallel on this earth. A man's heart would be 
like a stone if it could leave these sacred landmarks in the 
history of Christendom without regret. But I must continue 
my journey to Egypt. 



[433] 



Chapter XXII 
FROM JERUSALEM TO PORT SAID 



EARLY in the . morning, the 23rd of October, I bade my 
friends farewell. The train rushed along the plain of 
Bephaim, and here I saw for the last timee the walls and some 
of the housetops. Our train went through the valleys of the 
mountains of Judah, and soon we came to the plain of Philistia. 
Here in the car I sat with Turks, Arabs and various other kinds 
of people, but my spirit was in the Holy City and at its holy 
places. A little before noon we were at the station in Jaffa. 
Here we heard the usual noise and the boisterous crowd of Arabs 
were trying to get hold of our baggage. An Arab boy tore the 
handle from my valise. At last I left it in the care of a "ham- 
mal ' ' and he brought it down to the wharf. This was the fourth 
time that I had been in Jaffa, and I began to feel at home here. 
We went along the narrow streets and came at last to the shore. 
Out at sea, at quite a distance, was the Austrian Lloyd Line 
steamer Amphitrite at anchor. The storm was quite hard, and 
the question was, how we should be able to go out to the boat. 
I delivered myself into the hands of an Arab, and stepped into 
a boat manned by ten rowers. The rowers sang their monotonous 
song to Allah as they rowed powerfully together. We were 
going safely " through the rocks," but were sometimes deep 
down between the waves, and saw neither the boat nor the city. 
The storm was raging at Mersina, but it was more furious here. 
At last we drew close to the steamer, and in a few minutes I 
was on the deck. I paid the Arab two francs, and I considered 



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this cheap, because he carried my baggage from the station and 
took me to the steamer for the same price The intention was to 
start at 2 P. M.., but we did not depart before five o'clock in 
the afternoon. In the Orient they are not in a hurry. 

From the boat we have a very good view of the city of 
Jaffa, the coast north and south of this place, and of the moun- 
tains of Judah. At six o'clock we see the last glimpse of the 
Holy Land, which then sinks slowly beneath the waves. From 
these shores the greatest message given unto man has been sent 
abroad into the whole wide world! Thou art still, because of a 
perverse generation, as an owl in a ruined city, as a desolate 
land; thou are as a widow in the garment of mourning. From 
Dan to Beer-Sheba thy valleys are sighing because of misuse, and 
thy mountains echo their sighs. But thy memories are still 
there. Everywhere within thy boundaries there are unmistak- 
able proofs of the truthfulness of the Holy Book. In this land 
the spade has done wonders. The prophecy is being fulfilled and 
rightly so, because God's word cannot fail. The more we learn 
about the Land of Promise, the more we find evidence in abun- 
dance showing that the word of the Lord remaineth forever. 
Just as the storms and the showers will clear away the sand 
and the rubbish at the foot of the cliff and show the solid foun- 
dation, the eternal rocks, in like manner the storms of unbelief 
and the floods of rationalism will only help to show forth the 
solid foundation upon which the words and the promises are 
built. This foundation shall never waver, but remain forever. . . . 
Such thoughts filled my mind, as I saw the last glimpse of the 
Land of Promise. 

Darkness set in early and I went to bed seeking rest, after 
weeks of travel on horseback or on trains and boats. In the 
morning, the 24th of October, I arose at half past five, and then 
the pilot and the physician came on the boat; the former to 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



guide us on the right course, and the latter to find out if there 
were any sick people on the boat. Straight ahead of us we saw 
the lights of Port Said, and our boat continued due west. In 
half an hour we were at our goal. The yellow flag was raised 
until the physician could determine whether there were any 
sick people on the steamer. In a little while they pulled down 
the yellow flag. We understood that our case was clear, and that 
we did not need to lie in quarantine. Right before us we saw 
the African coast. It was very low, only a little above the sea. 
At seven o'clock in the morning, October 24th, I set my foot 
on African soil for the first time. This was the fourth continent 
which I had seen during my journey. At eight o'clock the train 
was to start for Suez, and I prepared to continue my journey 
through Egypt, the land of the Pharaohs. 



[436] 



Chapter XXIII 



FROM PORT SAID TO SUEZ 

BEFORE we leave this place, we wish to remind ourselves of 
some things about the city and its surroundings. It is 
located at the eastern end of the island, which belongs to the 
narrow strip of land extending between Lake Menzaleh and the 
Mediterranean Sea. At the eastern end of the town the Suez 
Canal empties into the sea. This is a great shipping place, and 
boats are coming and going to every part of the globe. There 
are about 50,000 inhabitants in Port Said, and about 12,000 of 
these are Europeans. At the northeast end of the town is a 
lighthouse, 174 feet high, one of the largest in the world. You 
can see this light about twenty-four miles out at sea. 

As our time was very limited, we did not have a chance 
to see much of the town. At 8 o'clock we were on the train, 
bound for Suez, passing along the canal on the left and the 
lake of Menzaleh to the right. In this northeastern part of 
Egypt there were several cities, and among them we might 
mention Tanis. This was located towards the southwest from 
Port Said, on the other side of the lake, by the Tanitic branch 
of the Nile. Its present name is Gan, and is the Zoan of the 
Bible. For quite good reasons they have considered that the 
ancient Avaris, the capital city of the Hykos dynasty, was 
located here. Hebron in the land of Canaan was built "seven 
years before Zoan in Egypt" (Num. 13:23). There is no doubt 
that King Pharaoh, who oppressed the Israelites, lived here. 
We read in the Psalms: "And he had wrought his signs in 




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Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan" (Ps, 78:43). In 
Isaiah we read of the "princes of Zoan" (Isa. 19:13). Tanis 
gave its name to the twenty-first and twenty-third of the Egyp- 
tian dynasties. 

While the train is speeding along the Lake of Menzaleh, 
we observe how various kinds of birds play their games in the 
water. There are pelicans, herons and flamingoes. There are 
buffaloes wading in the water by the shore. At El-Kantara we 
are at the southern end of the lake. The name signifies bridge, 
and here is a bridge which unites this lake with another named 
Balah. Here on a peninsula is the old caravan road from Egypt 
to Syria. Along this highway the holy family no doubt came 
down to the land of Pharaoh. A little farther west and to the 
north of the caravan road is Tell Daffaneh, which Petrie has 
identified with the Greek Daphne, and with the Biblical Taha- 
panes (Jer. 2:16). "At Tahapanes also the day shall be dark- 
ened, when I shall break there the yokes of Egypt : and the pomp 
of their strength shall cease in her" (Ez. 30:18). To the west 
the country is very level, but on the Asiatic side it is more uneven. 

But now something about the canal to the left, which re- 
minds us of the great work that De Lesseps has accomplished. 
This man was very young when he came to Egypt for the first 
time in 1836. The great thought revolved in his mind, how 
he might be able to unite the Mediterranean Sea with the Red 
Sea. He began the work in 1859, and then he engaged 25,000 
men. To supply these men with water he made 4,000 water kegs, 
which were brought to the men on camels' backs. About 1,600 
camels carried provisions to these men at a cost of 8,000 francs 
per day. The 29th of September he completed the canal which 
brought sweet water to the laborers. This sweet-water canal was 
made side by side with the other, and it is still there. The 17th 
of November, 1869, the Suez Canal was ready for traffic, and 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



had then cost ninety-five million dollars. A considerable sum, 
but now the passage from Asia to Europe was opened. Pharaoh 
Necho endeavored to dig this canal. Herodotus tells us that not 
less than 120,000 Egyptians were sacrificed in this undertaking, 
and then the king gave up the work. One hundred years later 
the Persian king, Darius, completed this work, and thus the 
answer of the oracle was fulfilled, "That the Persians would 
have the use of the work." That canal was located in about 
the same place where the sweet-water canal is at present. But 
the old canal was not kept up, and it became necessary for the 
Emperor Trajan (98-117) to restore it. 

After we had passed by El-Gisr, a station to the right of the 
road, right by a mosque of some note, we came to Lake Timsah, 
or Crocodile Lake,. To the southwest of Lake Timsah we have 
to the left of the railroad a hill, Gebel Maryam. According to an 
old Arabian legend, Miriam became leprous here, because she 
opposed the marriage of Moses with an Ethiopian woman. For 
this she was compelled to dwell seven days outside of the camp 
(Num. 12). In this vicinity we have to look for Succoth. "We 
are now following the same course that the children of Israel 
took when they passed by these lakes, and somewhere along these 
mountains we must seek Etham. This name signifies "wall," 
and can have reference to the mountain wall which is formed 
by Djebel Genefieh. To this wall they came from Succoth, and 
continued to Pi Hahiroth, which is located directly opposite 
Baal Zephon. The country at this place is constantly rising. 
Now we follow the canal where the sweet water flows along the 
railroad, and then we have the Suez Canal to the left. From 
this place the wide 'desert extends in all directions, and our 
train is speeding along very fast. At twelve o'clock we are at 
Suez. 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



The city is located at the end of the Gulf of Suez on the 
northwest side and has 17,457 inhabitants. Suez is not old. 
It has grown with the building of the canal. I registered at 
the Hotel Bel Air. Here I rested for some time and then in 
the afternoon I went out along the plain to the southwest of the 
town. Here I came to the shore of the Red Sea. I tried to 
ascertain where the children of Israel crossed the sea ; there have 
been several theories regarding this. Here I spent the greater 
part of the afternoon, trying to find out where Moses was when 
he had the Red Sea before him, mountains on both sides, and 
the army of Pharaoh behind. I had often heard preachers and 
other public men tell their audiences what a critical condition 
Moses and the Israelites were in here among the mountains; 
but I could not see any mountains here by the sea. I looked into 
my Bible and, behold, there is nothing said about any mountain 
in this connection ! To the southwest from the Suez Canal and 
along the bay is a mountain range called Djebel Ataka. But 
why should Moses go so far to the south along the shore ? There 
was no need of that. He knew these regions, because he had 
gone back and forth on his way to the mount of God, Horeb, 
and had lived there forty years. According to the latest investi- 
gations they have found that Pi Hahiroth is Agrud, near Suez, 
and Baal Zephon must have been near here. The children of 
Israel were encamped at the first-named place, and this was 
located near the sea. They crossed the sea at Pi Hahiroth. 
Some Bible students have with a great deal of reason supposed 
that the Red Sea at that distant time extended quite a distance 
to the northwest. Many have tried to prove that the whole 
vicinity around the Suez bay at its northern end was much 
lower at the time of the Exodus, but that the land by the Medi- 
terranean Sea, where the canal empties into this body of water, 
was much higher. If that is the case, the prophecy of Isaiah 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



has been fulfilled: "And the Lord shall utterly destroy the 
tongue of the Egyptian Sea, and with His mighty wind shall 
He shake His hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven 
streams, and make men go over dryshod" (Is. 11:15). Further- 
more he says : ' 1 And the water shall fail from the sea, and the 
river shall be wasted and dried up" (Is. 19:5). Taking all 
the circumstances into consideration, it seems clear that the 
Israelites went across at Suez, or somewhere above, towards the 
northwest. At present there is a bay extending northward from 
Suez, and this body of water is very shallow. The bay must 
have been much broader then than it is now. Now it is about 
three-fourths of a mile across; then it must have been at least 
three miles. Now it is an easy matter to go around the bay, 
and Moses and the people could have done that, if the water 
did not extend farther northward than it does now. I observed, 
as I was walking along the plain, that there is a very strong 
ebb and flow right there at the end of the bay. When the water 
rushes in, the whole plain, very nearly, is covered, and in the 
time of ebb, the water runs out far into the bay. But we cannot 
explain this wonderful crossing of the Israelites on the tide- 
water theory, because we read in the Scriptures: "And the 
children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry 
ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right 
hand and on their left" (Ex. 14:22). No matter whither you 
turn before this word, it is written, "the waters were a wall 
unto them on their right hand and on their left." The tide- 
water theory is not sufficient here. It was a miracle of the Lord 
that He brought His people out of the land of Egypt with a 
mighty hand. 



[441] 



Chapter XXIV 
THROUGH GOSHEN TO CAIRO 

THE following morning found me at the station a little before 
eight o'clock, ready to depart. I found it very difficult to 
secure exchange. I went to an Italian store and asked the store- 
keeper to exchange a napoleon, i. e., 20 francs. He put up seven 
francs, and then took my money and put it into his purse. I 
kept still until he had done this, but then I told him a few 
things which made him quite ashamed of himself. He did not 
think that I understood the money of the land. At last the 
depot agent changed the money for me, I bought my ticket, 
and off I went from Suez to Ismailieh. During this journey I 
was in the company of a throng of Russian pilgrims. They 
had been to Sinai and were returning to their own country. 
They looked to be very pleasant and were well dressed. At 
Ismailieh I had to change trains, and here we must wait awhile. 
From here we go to Cairo through Goshen. I had looked for- 
ward to this journey with a special interest. This part of 
ancient Egypt is very fruitful, but during the Turkish regime 
everything had gone down, and so had agriculture in this part 
of Egypt. In the beginning of the past century four thousand 
Arabs could hardly support themselves here, but the develop- 
ment has been very marked under the English supervision, and 
now there are about 15,000 inhabitants here and more are moving 
in right along. Near the canal the land is cultivated, but farther 
out there is a naked and barren desert. 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



_ When we came to Tell El-Maskhouta we saw on the sonth 
side of the canal a ruin. Here was the old Pithom, one of the 
old treasure cities which the children of Israel built for Pharaoh, 
king of Egypt (Ex. 1:11). The great discoverer, Naville, has 
diligently used the spade, and he has discovered certain 
granaries in the form of rectangular chambers without 
doors. Into these the Egyptians poured the grain through 
holes in the roofs. Perhaps these storehouses date from 
the time of Rameses II. At Abu Hamad we come into 
the country of Goshen, which in all likelihood extended 
farther east than this place. Pharaoh gave this land 
as a possession to Israel and his descendants, Rameses was 
another city built by the Jews in this province. At this 
place the Israelites gathered themselves together, when they 
went out of Egypt, and continued to Succoth. At present there 
is a marked development in Goshen. New houses are being 
built, more land is taken up for cultivation and irrigated accord- 
ing to better methods, and it begins to appear as if the people 
of Goshen will have a better future. 

This part of Egypt Joseph promised to his people 
(Gen. -±5:10). Later on Pharaoh promised them this part of 
Egypt, when he said: "The land of Egypt is before thee; in 
the best of the land make thy father and brethren to dwell; in 
the land of Goshen let them dwell: and if thou knowest any 
men of activity among them, make them rulers over my cattle" 
(Gen. 47:6). Here the children of Israel dwelt as strangers, 
"And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of 
Goshen; and they had possession therein, and grew and multi- 
plied exceedingly" (Gen. 47:27). 

Our train follows the canal, and this is, no doubt, the same 
canal that passed through this part of the country in the time 
of Israel. On either bank of this life-giving stream there are 



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trees of various kinds, and beautiful plantations and orchards 
are seen on both sides of the railroad. In the canal there were 
a great many boats and along the banks the colored sons of Ham 
were pulling them by means of ropes. Sometimes they used 
asses for this work. I suppose this is the way it looked in the 
time of Joseph, with the exception of the railroad. Here the 
Israelites were in bondage under their oppressors, and the Lord 
saw their affliction and heard their cry, and came down to deliver 
them (Ex. 3:7-8). This He did with a powerful arm, after He 
had done many signs and wonders by His servant Moses. 

The farther west we go, the better cultivation we find, and 
the more the land is being tilled. Soon we arrive at Zakazik, a 
city of about 36,000 inhabitants. In this part of the delta 
cotton and various kinds of grain and garden stuff are being 
raised for export. A little distance to the southeast from this 
place we see Bubastis. This is the Pibeseth of the Bible (Hez. 
30: 17). Here was a great temple formerly, built by Cheops 
and Chefren, the pyramid builders, to the honor of the goddess 
Bastets. Hither great throngs came to worship this goddess. 

From this place we continued due west to Benha, and from 
there southwest to Cairo. To the southwest from a station 
called Taukh is Chibin El-Kanater, in the vicinity of which 
Tell Jahoudieh, i. e., the "Jew-height," is located. Here was 
the place for the ancient Leontopolis, which was the center for 
the Jews in the time of Onias. Here the Jews built a temple 
in 170 B. C, and this resembled the Solomonic temple in Jeru- 
salem. The Jews had been driven away from Jerusalem by the 
Syrians, and had found a refuge in this part of Egypt. Soon 
we are at Cairo. Here is life and business, and no difficulty in 
securing a good hotel, because we are asked by so many repre- 
sentatives who are anxious to have guests. I registered at Hotel 
Londres, and prepared to see as much of this city as I could. 



[444] 



Chapter XXV 



CAIRO, HELIOPOLIS, AND THE PYRAMIDS 
HE city of Cairo is located on the east side of the Nile, where 



g this river divides itself into two branches, Rosetta and 
Damietta. Here is the upper part of the Nile-Delta. Here 
Cairo covers an area of eleven square miles. A wonderful de- 
velopment has taken place here during the last years. This 
metropolis is the largest city in Africa and it contains 615,000 
natives and 50,000 foreigners. To the east of the city are the 
Mokattam Mountains, only 650 feet high. Beyond the valley 
in the west the wild Libyan desert extends towards the Sahara. 
At this place the valley is about eleven miles wide. Here was 
formerly a suburb to the ancient On, called Khere-Ohe. 

The development of Cairo has taken place especially during 
the last century. "When England came into power in Egypt, 
this developed according to European methods and plans, and we 
find that this has been for the good of the country. In Jeru- 
salem my dragoman told me : "When you come to Egypt you will 
thank God that the Englishmen have had something to do with 
the development of the city of Cairo and Egypt in general. 
They have taught the citizens of Cairo to wash themselves." 
He spoke the truth. Cairo is a beautiful city with the exception 
of the southern part, or the Old Cairo. I secured a guide and 
the following day, the 26th of October, we went out in the morn- 
ing to see the ancient On, or Heliopolis, the Beth-Schemesch of 
the Bible. As my hotel was located quite a distance from the 
station, we rode to this place in a street car, and from the station 




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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



we rode on the railroad train; for trains go to On every half 
hour of the day. In twenty minutes we were there. A little 
distance outside of Cairo is the village Kubbieh, and quite near 
this is the residence of the Khedive of Egypt. This is a mag- 
nificent residence and everything is built in a very luxurious 
style. In the valley, a little farther on, we see two battlefields. 
In the year 1517 the Battle of Heliopolis took place in this valley. 
This battle made the Turks masters of Egypt, The second 
battle fought on this plain was on the 21st of March, 1800, 
when the French general won a decisive victory over the Turks 
with only 10,000 French troops, while the Mohammedans had 
about 60,000. But the consequences of this victory were not 
lasting. 

From this field we soon come to El-Matariyeh. Here we 
leave the train and go through the village in a westerly direction, 
and then turn to the north. In about ten minutes we are at 
the obelisk and the ruins. Here was the location of the ancient 
On, which is often spoken of in the Scriptures. This was one 
of the oldest cities in the country, and the chief place for sun 
worship, wherefore J eremiah called it Beth-Schemesch, the Greek 
translation of which is Heliopolis, which means the City of the 
Sun ( Jer. 43 :13) . Here we find only heaps of gravel and stones, 
and these heaps indicate where the old walls were built. They 
were made mostly of brick. Here among these ruins is an obelisk 
of red granite, brought hither from Assuan. This is 66 feet 
high above the pedestal. Here at the Temple of the Sun there 
were a great many such obelisks, but they have been taken to 
other cities, such as Constantinople, Rome, London, and New 
York. The obelisk which stood in front of Ra 's temple was built 
by Usertasen I, during the twelfth dynasty, or about 2500 B. C. 
This ancient monument is surrounded by a wooden fence and 
the whole looks very good here among the mulberry trees. The 



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same writing in hieroglyphics is on all four sides, and informs 
us that King Usertasen I, ruler of Upper and Lower Egypt, and 
the son of the sun, erected this monument. Here at the Temple 
of the Sun was a priestess, Potipherah, and Pharaoh gave her 
daughter, Asenath, as a wife to Joseph (Gen. 41:45). When 
he lived here this obelisk had been standing for a thousand 
years. I stood a long time at this very old monument and I 
really shivered when I thought of its age. Here it has been 
standing for 4,500 years, and has had a chance to witness many 
changes in this valley. I wonder if Joseph went into this temple 
to be married to his bride ? Maybe he did. One thing is certain, 
and that is that Joseph has been walking around these precincts 
many a time, and his eyes have, no doubt, been resting on this 
red pillar. The Sun Temple at this place was one of the greatest 
in the country of Egypt. We get an idea of the size of this 
temple, when we remind ourselves that during the time of 
Rameses III, in the thirteenth century B. C, this sanctuary 
required 12,913 servants and sextons. In this metropolis a 
considerable literature saw the light, and the priests of this 
temple were known to the students of various sciences. Even 
in the Grecian times they became renowned; Heliopolis was 
still a seat of learning, and the philosophers came to this place 
to sit at the feet of the wise priests. Herodotus and Plato came 
to Heliopolis to drink from the fountain of knowledge, and 
it is said that the latter spent thirteen years in order to be able 
to bring away with him some of their knowledge. Next in 
prominence to the Temple of Ammon at Thebes came the Temple 
of the Sun here at On. Strabo visited this place about 60 A. D. 
Then the city was in ruins, but the temple still stood there. 
The house of the priests and the dwelling place of Plato were 
shown at that time. The old school did not exist then, and only 
some priests and some guides for the tourists were then to be 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 

found here. From that time on the ruins have crumbled more 
and more, and now there are only heaps of bricks and gravel. 

Near by we observe how oxen and asses, by means of wheels, 
were drawing water from wells. This runs to the surrounding 
plantations and orchards. It was so very still this morning. 
The air was clear and warm and we felt that we were in a 
southern climate. If at any place we can see how destruction 
has written its ' ' mene, mene tekel, ' ' we see it here at the old On. 
Only heaps of ruins are found here, and this is all that is left 
of the great city, and from these ash heaps we seem to hear a 
whisper, "All is vanity." There is only one thing that re- 
maineth forever, and that is the word of G-od. 

As we returned, we went to the west side of the town, and 
there we saw the well of the Virgin Mary. At this well is a 
very large tree, and according to the legend, the holy Virgin 
and her child, Jesus, rested underneath this tree during their 
flight in Egypt. Another legend says that the Virgin and her 
Son hid themselves in this tree. A spider spun a web before the 
opening, and in this way they escaped the danger. That is 
nothing but a fabrication, because the tree was planted in 
1672 A. D. 

Now we returned to the station, but inasmuch as we had 
a few minutes left before the train arrived, we walked to an 
ostrich farm near by. It cost me fifteen piasters to be admitted. 
There are about 800 ostriches here and they are owned by some 
Frenchmen. The keeper showed us around and it was a very 
interesting sight to watch these big birds. Some were very 
angry and hissed as we stuck our hands in through the fence. 
Those that had eggs in the nests were ready to fight. Along a 
high stair we came up on the roof and had a most excellent 
view of the vicinity, where the old On was located. 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



At about twelve o'clock we returned to Cairo, and in the 
afternoon went out to see the pyramids; but as we came to the 
Nile bridge we found it closed because of the many boats that 
sailed down the river. It is not open for traffic from half past 
two to three o'clock in the afternoon. We stood a long time 
at the eastern end of the bridge. From that point I saw the 
pyramids for the first time. It was rather lonesome to stay here 
so long, and so I asked my guide to take me to the citadel. On 
a street car we came very soon to the foot of the hill on which 
the citadel is located. I paid a piaster for my sandals at the 
door and walked in. To the right of the door is the sarcophagus 
of Mohammed Ali. I walked around in this building for some 
time, and found that they had not spared money in decorating 
the interior of this edifice. We walked around the building to 
the southwest side and from here we had a very good view of the 
whole vicinity. Behind us were the Mokattam Mountains, from 
■ which they secured building material for the pyramids. There 
; is a very large quarry there. Below us lay the city of Cairo, and 
j ; with its minarets, parks, towers and the Nile at the west side, 
j ,: it made a splendid panorama. On the Nile we saw a great num- 
ber of vessels ; toward the edge of the Libyan desert we had a 
j j! good view of the pyramids. I counted more than forty of them. 
^ * The clear air made them seem very near. Down on the plain 
^ j we saw the fellaheen toiling along on their farms, and along 
tthe banks of the Nile we observed well-filled passenger trains 
af i run to and fro in this populous metropolis. Towards the south 
T: we beheld palm groves, where the ancient Memphis used to be. 
1 ' Towards the north the obelisk stood out clearly at On, and 
ee ' towards the northeast lay the desolate desert. 

While we were standing on this citadel, I reminded myself 
i 1 of what took place here, March 1, 1911, at the instigation of 
Mohammed Ali. This man was born in Cavalla in 1769, and 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



had been chosen at the recommendation of the French consul, 
de Lesseps, to counteract the influence of England and the 
Mameluks in Egypt. He was the officer of 1,000 Albanian 
soldiers here and was an able man, but very reckless in all his 
actions. When he had disposed of his enemies, he was chosen 
Pasha for the whole country in 1805, and captured the citadel 
on the third of August. He considered the Mameluks to be a 
hindrance to the proper development of the country, and re- 
solved to dispose of them in a very deceptive manner. He 
invited them to a festival, and they came in gala attire, as they 
thought he wished to consult them on important matters. "When 
he had entertained them and they were about ready to depart, 
they found the gates shut, and at once they saw their situation 
and fate. A killing fire was opened on them from the fortress, 
and this massacre continued until all, with the exception of one, J 
Amin Bey, were slain. Four hundred and eighty were killed, i 
This man escaped by urging his horse to jump down through 
a hole in the wall, and he and his horse threw themselves into 
the abyss. The horse was killed, but the rider escaped with his 
life. As I looked down into this deep abyss, I could not under- 
stand how he could escape from such a plunge. What a crime ! 

Nevertheless Mohammed Ali was one of the most powerful 
rulers in recent times. He was the man who made improvements 
in agriculture and introduced the cotton plant into Egypt. 
He also improved the canals, appointed Europeans to public j 
offices, and sent young men to Paris to train them for various j 
occupations. He also made several improvements in the army. 
In 1831 he intended to make Egypt independent of the Turkish! j 
Sultan. He captured Acre, Damascus, Aleppo and many other ^ 
places, destroyed the Turkish fleet, and intended to capture 
the city of Constantinople. Through the peace in Kutahia, 1833, y 
Mohammed Ali received Syria, with the provision that he must ^ 

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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



be subservient to the Sultan of Turkey. He was obliged to pay 
an annual tribute of $2,060,000 to the Sultan, and to reduce 
the standing army to 18,000 soldiers. This powerful ruler 
finished his career in 1849 at the castle Shubra. 

The citadel is a city by itself. Here are the castle of the 
Pasha, an arsenal and factories, and a number of other buildings. 
We saw a very deep well in the southeastern part of the citadel. 
This is called Bir Yusuf, the Well of Joseph. It is two hundred 
and ninety feet deep and is cut out of the solid rock, eighteen 
feet square. My guide threw a stone into it, and it took a long 
time before it reached water. From this well the city received 
its water before the present waterwork was finished. In the 
twelfth century, when they began to build here, this well was 
filled with sand, and a certain Joseph cleaned it out — hence its 
name. My guide said with a smile on his lip : " Here in this 
well the sons of Israel threw down their brother." 

Returning from the citadel, I walked into the bazaars. These 
are really stores and are built along very narrow streets. Accord- 
ing to the custom of the Orient the goods are made here in the 
shops and sold at the same place. These bazaars are not so 
large as they are in Damascus. Mondays and Thursdays they 
are visited mostly. Then you can hardly get through from 
place to place. Here they sell everything that one may need. 
Here they cheat, and they consider it no sin or shame to do so, 
but a sign of smartness and good business ingenuity. Here they 
haggle and are just as often cheated. 

My guide did not satisfy me in every way, so I gave him 
his pay at the end of the day and let him go. Of course I had 
to give him bakschisch besides. 

The following morning I went out to see the Egyptian 
Museum. This museum was founded by Mariette in 1857; and 
here he gathered things of interest that he had found during his 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



excavations. Later on Professor Maspero and others developed 
this institution in a most wonderful way. Here we find the 
greatest collections of Egyptian antiquities. Whatever of value 
is found in excavations is delivered to this museum. Mariette 
gathered all his findings in a house on the island of Bulak, and 
hence it is sometimes called the Bulak Museum. But this place 
proved too damp and the location too small, so they secured an 
old castle on the west side of the river, and here the antiquities 
were kept from 1889-1892. Then the castle was torn down and 
a suitable building was erected at a little distance from the Nile. 
The present curator of this museum is Professor G. Maspero. 
Outside of the building is a statue of Mariette, and near by is a 
sarcophagus of marble. On the south side there is a portico, 
and this is supported by three great pillars. To the right of the 
entrance are two great obelisks of Rameses II from Tanis. "Within 
the building we found a world of the most interesting objects. 
Here are obelisks, sarcophagi, paintings of the dignitaries in 
the land of the Pharaohs, idols, weapons, furniture, wagons, 
jars, manuscripts, rolls of papyrus, etc., etc. Among other 
things I saw a war chariot which belonged to Thutmosis III. 
This had only two wheels, and the front part was covered with 
leather. This king was a warrior, built a great deal, and ruled 
about 1600 B. C. There was something that interested me very 
much, and that was the department where the mummies were 
placed. There were three mummies which I particularly wished 
to see. These were Seti I, his illustrious son, Rameses II, and 
his successor on the Egyptian throne, Merenptah. I recognized 
them at once from pictures which I had seen of them in papers 
and books. I was wondering if it were all a dream or a reality 
that I was standing face to face with the ancient Pharaohs of 
Egypt. 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



Perhaps we ought to recall a few facts regarding the 
dynasties of Egypt. An Egyptian by the name of Maneto, a 
priest at Heliopolis, wrote a history of Egypt in the third cen- 
tury B. C. This history is lost and only certain parts of it are 
extant. From the time of the first king of Egypt, Menes, who 
founded Memphis, to the time of Alexander the Great 332-323) 
there were thirty-one dynasties, or houses. The historic period 
begins about 3300 B. C. The fourth dynasty (2850-2700) is 
known as that of the builders. Kheops and Khephren then built 
the great pyramids at Gizeh. The nineteenth dynasty ruled 
from 1400 to 1280 B. C. Among them we have the following 
kings: Seti I, Rameses II, and Merenptah. These were great 
warriors and builders as well. Seti carried on wars with the 
Libyans and Syrians. His wars with the Hittites are well known 
in history. As a builder Seti I was one of the greatest in the 
world. He was the one who built the Hall of Columns at Thebes. 
This king cut out in the rock a tomb for himself, and this is one 
of the most beautiful among the royal tombs of Egypt. He also 
began to dig the canal which united the river Nile with the Red 
Sea. Rameses II was also a prominent king. He was the suc- 
cessor of Seti I. He was without doubt the greatest character 
among the kings of the nineteenth dynasty, and by some he was 
considered to be the greatest king in Egypt. He ruled 67 
years, and was 30 years old when he succeeded his father to the 
throne. Some consider him to be the king who oppressed the 
children of Israel in Goshen, where they built the cities Pithom 
and Rameses. He carried on wars with the Hittites (Khita), 
and feared that they might unite with the Syrians, and with the 
help of the Hebrews in Goshen conquer his country. This was 
the king, then, who made the lives of the Hebrews bitter with 
hard bondage, in mortar and in brick, and in all manner of 
service in the field (Ex. 1:13-14). It was his daughter who 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



found Moses among the reeds by the shore of the Nile. In this 
king's palace Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the 
Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds (Acts 7:21). 
Rameses II had several sons, and only one survived him, his 
successor, Merenptah. This must have been the king who hard- 
ened his heart against the Lord, in spite of all the miracles per- 
formed in his sight. He is the Pharaoh who saw the children of 
Israel depart from his country. With Rameses there is the 
beginning of a decline. He reminds us very much of King 
Louis XIV of France. " After him came the deluge," and his 
successor found it out to his great dismay. 

Here in the museum of Cairo are the mummies of the 
above-named kings, side by side, father, son and grandson. How 
wonderful that we are able to look into the faces of these kings 
after about 3,500 years. That the public may now look at these 
mummies is due to the following circumstances. The tombs 
of these kings are at Biban El-Muluk, but for a long time these 
were empty, for the mummies were concealed in a secret place 
known only to certain Arabians. How this place was discovered 
is one of the most interesting chapters in Egyptian history, 
and shows how these mummies were saved from destruction, 
and kept for the museums. As soon as Professor Maspero dis- 
covered that mummies were sold in Upper Egypt to tourists, he 
organized a secret police squad. Very soon some were arrested, 
but no one knew anything about these mummies or their secret 
hiding place. These policemen whipped their prisoners, but not 
one divulged anything. Among others one Mr. Wilson bought 
the hand and the head of a mummy from one of the four Arabs 
who used to guide tourists in the vicinity. A certain Arab was 
arrested at the instigation of Professor Maspero and kept in 
prison some months. They whipped him and threatened him 
with death, but his mouth was dumb as the sphinx. From his 



[454] 



THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



lips they heard no more than from the hidden grave. His 
brother Mohammed was offered a great bakschisch, and behold, 
this was a key that opened up all hidden mysteries. Now he 
confessed where the mummies were to be found, but no one 
until this day has ever learned how these brothers had found 
out the secret place. In company with the curator of the Bulak 
Museum, Emil Brugsch Bey, the Arab went to Deir El-Bahari 
and showed him the grave where the mummies were concealed. 
Here above a limestone cliff they found that the stones were so 
arranged that it could be seen that the hand of man had placed 
them. Here was a well and into this they descended forty feet. 
At the bottom of this they found, when they had cleaned out 
the well, a passage which led them several hundred feet into 
the mountain, and behold, at the end of this they found a cham- 
ber. In this were Rameses II and forty other mummies of kings, 
queens, priests and other prominent characters. This happened 
the 5th of July, 1881. It was very dangerous to bring these 
mummies to Thebes, but by the help of 300 Arabs this work was 
done in six days. It became necessary to do this work behind 
the gun, so to speak, because the Arabs were aroused when their 
treasures were taken from them. In this way the museum at 
Cairo secured these valuable mummies. The public have seen 
pictures of them and know how they look. Seti I seems almost as 
dark as a Negro. This is due to the medicines used at the em- 
balming. The features are still so clear that I have no doubt 
but that his former subjects would recognize him if they could 
see him again. The statues of him in stone are also well made. 
He is represented as a smiling and joyful personality. Right 
near this is the mummy of his son, Rameses II. There we see his 
body all covered up in linen rags. How does he' look ? Well, 
who can describe him? I stood there for a long time and have 
the picture very clearly in my mind, but I wish to give the word 



[ 455 ] 



THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 

to the man who let him loose from his bandages, and stood face 
to face with him after these thousands of years. Professor Mas- 
pero says: "The head is long and in comparison to the body 
small. His forehead is nearly bare. On his temples are some 
scattered hairs, but it is very thick on the back part of the head, 
where it forms smooth, straight locks about five centimeters long. 
The hair was white when he died, but it has been colored yellow 
by the drugs used at the embalming. The forehead is low and 
narrow, the bone of the forehead is very prominent, the eye- 
brows are thick and white, the eyes are small and close together. 
The nose is long, thin and crooked, and somewhat crushed at 
the end by reason of the pressure of the bandages. The temples 
are somewhat sunken, the cheek bones are very prominent, the 
ears are round and stick out from the head, and are pierced 
as the ears of women who wear earrings ; the chinbone is coarse 
and strong, and the chin is very prominent. The mouth is small, 
and the lips are thick, and in between them is a kind of black 
pitch. When this black mass was cut away by means of scissors, 
there appeared some neat and beautiful teeth, which were white 
and well kept. The mustache and the beard is thin. It seems 
as though he had shaved them off, but perhaps he let them grow 
during his last sickness, or perhaps they grew after death. The 
hairs are white as those which are on the head, but stiff and 
bristle-like, and from two to three millimeters long. The skin 
is of an earth-brown and blackish nature. At least, we can say 
that the mummy gives a good idea of the face of the living king. 
The face is not intellectual, perhaps a little animal in it, but even 
under this peculiar covering of the mummy, you can clearly see 
the attitude of the royal majesty, of determination and pride. 
The upper part of the body is just as well kept as the head, but 
because of the contraction of the nerves the outward form has 
become less living. The neck is not any thicker than the spine. 



THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



The breast is wide, the shoulders are square, the arms are placed 
in a cross over the breast, the hands are small and covered with 
henna ; the wound in the left side, through which the embalmers 
removed the intestines, is large and open. The legs and hips 
are large and without any flesh, the feet are small and long, 
with somewhat flat soles, and, as the hands, they are covered 
with henna. It is the corpse of an old, but powerfully built man. 
We also know that Rameses II ruled for 67 years, and must have 
been nearly one hundred years old when he died." 

Near by this mummy lies another one. who in lifetime bore 
the name Nefret-ere Mi-en-Mut. She was the queen of Rameses II. 
The coffin resembles the form of a woman, and here the eyes of 
a woman are looking at the tourist. The lid on the coffin, which 
is made of wood, is very well preserved. When this is removed 
you see the face of a woman which bears the traits of beauty 
and nobility. She was the queen at the court where Moses was 
educated, and without doubt he saw this face many a time. Is it 
not wonderful that the king and queen, and her father-in-law 
and her son are there in the same museum and within glass cases ! 
It must have been very beautiful to live in the palace of this 
king, and yet we read in the Scriptures that Moses refused, 
having grown up, to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, 
choosing rather to suffer affliction with God's people than to 
have pleasure in sin for a season, esteeming the reproach of 
Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt, for he had 
respect unto the recompense of the reward (Heb. 11:24-26). 

Here in this museum are so many things of interest that 
one cannot look them over satisfactorily in a few days. But 
the whole does not leave the same impression as the museum at 
Athens. There is something stiff and hard in the Egyptian 
sculpture. Here we do not find the neat and well-rounded form 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



as we find among the Greeks. And yet you observe in the various 
works of sculptors a beauty in the work that is surprising. We 
must not forget their standpoint in religious matters. Among 
the ancient Egyptians we find a depth in science which is aston- 
ishing. To Egypt came the wise men of Greece to take a post- 
graduate course, and yet we find that their religion was of such 
a low nature that they worshiped dumb brutes such as oxen, 
dogs, cats, birds and crocodiles. Here we are in a museum where 
so many things remind us of how far advanced they were in the 
distant ages. They have done things that compel our wise men 
at the present time to stand with admiration and place their 
fingers on their mouths and cry, ''Mysterium, mysterium!" 
We only need to mention their skill in embalming dead bodies. 
In that way our learned men have not come as far as they. The 
Egyptians placed a great stress on science, but we have found 
that the dry sciences are not sufficient for man. He needs 
something more. We need the true religion to. lead and guide 
us. In all their wisdom the Egyptians bent their knees to dumb 
brutes. These thoughts passed through my mind as I was walk- 
ing among the interesting objects in the museum at Cairo. It 
was a sermon to me that we should not build on science alone. 
Let no one think for a moment that I despise science; it would 
be foolish to do so. But there are a great many who are satisfied 
with science alone, and care nothing for the word of revelation, 
the guiding star to eternal bliss. Our help is in the name of the 
Lord, in the living gospel which He gave mankind. Our edu- 
cational institutions must write on their banners, and raise them 
high, that our salvation does not come through men with a well- 
developed intellect, and the salvation of our church will not be 
brought about by "learned" preachers, but by the pure and 
saving gospel of the Nazarene. 

[458] 



THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



These thoughts came to me as I was walking around in this 
museum, where science has left such proofs of triumphs. My 
visit in this museum I shall never forget. 

Early in the morning I secured a guide, whose name was 
Essayed Faid. He was a typical Beduin as to his appearance, 
and as to his religion a Mohammedan. We went to Old Cairo 
I on the street car. This part of Cairo was called Babylon for- 
merly, and here is a fallen wall from the time of the Romans. 
! The streets are narrow and dirty, and it looks as though we had 
| come to another city. Here is the center for the Copts, and 
| here is their church, Abu Serge, which is visited by a great 
j many tourists. This sanctuary is very old and its crypt is said 
j to be the place where Mary and Jesus kept themselves during 
their stay in Egypt. The Copts are the descendants of the old 
Egyptians, and were early Christianized. They are monophysites, 
i. e., they believe that Christ has only one nature, the divine. 
At their services they make use of the language which was used 

I in Egypt in the third century. The priests can read and under- 
stand it, but the people in general cannot. The Coptic church 
has not developed very much since the early centuries. It is 
in great need of a reformation, a regeneration to life and activity. 
There are about 609,000 Copts and they are scattered about 
^ in Upper Egypt. They are found in the cities mostly. They are 
^ watchmakers, carpenters, tailors, clerks, weavers, turners, and 
* j! builders. As to their appearance they differ from the Egyptian 
e farmer or fellah. The Copts are not so strongly built, have 
i* | smaller hands and feet, longer neck and head, and are lighter in 
m color than the fellaheen. In everyday life they can easily be 
1- detected by their black and blue turban and black clothes in 
t | general. This color was determined upon by their oppressors, 
id and they still keep it with a certain pride. An active missionary 
work is carried on among them by certain American churches. 

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They have established schools and spread books, particularly 
the Bible. The Franciscans, who also have carried on mission- 
ary work among them, have been less successful. Many Copts 
are Well versed in the Bible, and it is said that they know whole 
gospels by heart. 

From Old Cairo there is a bridge over the Nile to the island 
of Roda. "We went across on this bridge, to the western bank 
of the river. Here at the southern end of the island is the well- 
known Nile meter, which measures the water of the river. This 
meter was made in 716 A. D. It is a kind of cistern, sixteen feet 
in diameter, and in its center there is an octagonal pillar on 
whose sides Arabic figures indicate the depth of the water in the 
river. The 24th of August, when the water reaches its height, 
the embankments are opened, and water is let in on the land 
in the valley. This day is a festive day for the Egyptian fel- 
laheen, and is celebrated with great joy. 

From this place we came to the other side of the river, and 
we took another street car for the pyramids. During this 
pleasant journey we see the pyramids before us all the time, and 
the nearer we come, the larger they seem to us. The Nile Valley 
is intersected by a number of dykes, and in these there are a great 
many water birds swimming around. To the right of the road, 
as we approach the pyramids, there is a kind of hotel called 
Mena. Right near this place is the end of the car line. Here are 
a post office and a drug store. As soon as we came out of the 
street car, the mule-boys became very lively and wished us to 
use their mules. The boys cried out : ' 1 Good donkey, very good 
donkey, Yankee Doodle, Berliner Esel, jolie bourrique, besoin, 
d'ane," and so on ad infinitum. My guide selected a large, white 
donkey, and I another one of the same color and size, and then 
we rode to the plateau where the pyramids are located. Two 



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Arab boys followed us and they ran about in the desert sand 
like deer. 

From the plateau we had a splendid view of the valley. 
How much better would the view be, if we could climb to the 
top ! As I was not very strong I did not endeavor to do this. 
The climbing is quite strenuous and I must deny myself the 
pleasure of seeing the Nile Valley from the top of the pyramid. 
We rode around the pyramids a long while. These 
pyramids are the largest, and are called Gizeh; and 
this group is one of the five which belonged to the 
cemetery of Memphis. This is called Necropolis, or City 
of the Dead. The whole stretch between the Libyan desert and 
the Nile Valley was a great cemetery, and its length was about 
20 miles. We are at the northern end of this Necropolis. These 
pyramids are sepulchral monuments and go back of the historical 
times. The first pyramid which we reached as we arrived from 
Cairo is called Kheops, the other is Khephren, and the third is 
Mencheres, after the kings who built them. These kings belonged 
j to the fourth dynasty and ruled between 2850-2700 B. C. To 
{ get an idea of the size of these gigantic monuments let us remind 
j ourselves that the largest covers an area of thirteen acres, and 
each side is 740 feet at the ground. It is 451 feet high ; and has 
been twenty feet higher, but its top is torn down. There is at 
the top a certain woodwork which indicates the original height. 
This pyramid alone contains 10,000,000 cubic feet of stone. They 
made a roadbed across the Nile Valley, and it took ten years to 
make this elevated road from the Mokattan Mountains. The 
i f road was about five miles long from the Nile, sixty feet wide and 
oil Qat some places forty feet high. This road was built from cut 
liitf stones, and here and there along the valley you can see traces 
of it. Herodotus, who visited this part of Egypt in 450 B. C, 
^1 writes that it took 400,000 men twenty years to erect the Kheops 

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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 

pyramid. On the outside the pyramids were covered with cut 
stones, and so well put together that a knife could not be placed 
between the crevices. At the top of the middle pyramid there is 
a little bit left of the original covering, and from this we get an 
idea how it looked. The entrance is on the northern side, and 
about fifty feet from the ground The passage to the chambers 
within is four feet high and just as wide Inside is the king's 
chamber and below is the queen's There have been several 
theories presented as to how these pyramids were built Some 
believe that a little pyramid was erected first, and then several 
layers were added on the outside, and this looks reasonable. But 
for what purpose were they erected ? The answer is not difficult. 
All are on the west side of the Nile, the region of darkness and 
death. In these pyramids they have found mummies of people, 
and in one of them they have found the mummy of an ox. The: 
pyramids are, then, sepulchral monuments, erected in honor of 
kings and other dignitaries. They have by these monuments 
and the mummies signified their belief in the immortality of, 
the soul. The ancient Egyptians and other Oriental nations 
believed in the transmigration of souls. According to this belief, 
the soul was brought before the judgment seat of Osiris. The 
divinities were grouped in three, Osiris, his wife Isis, and their 
son, Horus. All Egypt worshiped them. The king and the 
beggar must appear before the same tribunal to receive reward 
or punishment according to his deeds. If he could not pas* 
the examination, he could not be interred among his relatives 
If there was anyone who wished to repent, he was judged a - 
the judgment seat of Osiris to return to the earth and then 
repent in the bodies of certain animals, and when this procesi 
was ended, he was permitted to return to his own body, and fo: 
this reason it was necessary to preserve the bodies so that tb 
soul might find a home when it returned after its transmigration 

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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



This- doctrine of transmigration is still held by many Oriental 
peoples. Some do not even dare to kill a fly or a bird, because 
they fear that the soul of some departed relative or some one 
else may be in this insect or bird. The idea of some of onr 
modern heathens, who believe that we hail from the frogs or 
some other creeping things, is very much related to the idea of 
transmigration. 

Several theories have been brought forth relative to these 
pyramids. Some believe that Joseph built them when he was 
in the prime of his power, and the name Khufu, which is found 
in the two highest chambers in the pyramid, is said to be the 
Egyptian pronunciation of Joseph. When Israel went out of 
Egypt they took the bones of Joseph with them, and this would 
explain why the sarcophagus was empty in the royal chamber. 
The most peculiar theory is the one presented by Smythe, the 
Professor of Astronomy at Edinburgh. According to his idea, this 
pyramid was erected, as the ark of Noah and the temple of 
Solomon, under the guidance of God and His inspiration, for 
astronomical purposes, and from its construction one can de- 
termine important events in history, such as Christ's return to 
judgment, etc. Such speculations regarding the pyramids are 
nothing but hypotheses, but nevertheless, they have sought 
grounds for this belief in the Holy Scriptures. On this large 
pyramid they have applied the prophecy of Isaiah the prophet, 
when he says : "In that day shall five cities in the land of Egypt 
speak the language of Canaan, and swear to the Lord of hosts. 
One shall be called the City of Destruction. In that day shall 
there be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, 
. and a pillar at the border thereof to the Lord. And it shall be 
for a sign and for a witness unto the Lord of hosts in the land of 
Egypt : for they shall cry unto the Lord because of the oppres- 

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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



sors, and he shall send them a Saviour, and a great one, and He 
shall deliver them" (Is. 19:18-20). 

I stood for a long time at the northeast corner, looking up 
to the immense height, and the longer I looked the higher it 
appeared to me. They generally climb up along this corner. 
Here I saw a great many Arabs rest themselves on the stair-like 
sides. I saw a tourist who endeavored to ascend at the southeast 
corner, but he had to give it up ; he climbed for awhile, but had 
to return. Some were standing at the top, and they appeared 
as small as dwarfs. 

After some time we continued our ride along the east side 
and wended our way to the sphinx, which is located about five 
minutes' walk to the southeast of the Kheops pyramid. We were 
followed by a number of Arabs who wished to sell us antiquities, 
and others who wished to sell photographs. Now we are at this 
monster, which not long ago has been delivered from the sands 
of the desert. This sphinx looks like a lion with a human face. 
It has not been cut loose from the rocks, but is partly cut out 
from a rock which stuck out from the hillside. We get an idea 
of the size of this when we note that from the head to the paws 
there is a distance of 66 feet, and its length is 187 feet. The ear 
is four and a half feet, the nose five feet seven inches, and the 
mouth seven feet seven inches. The face is thirteen feet eight 
inches wide. If a tall person stands at the upper edge of the 
ear, he will with his finger tips reach the top of the head. Be- 
tween the paws there is an altar and before the breast there is 
another one, to the honor of Thutmosis III. Several theories 
have been presented regarding this very ancient monster. One 
of the old kings, perhaps Khephern, is said to have made it to 
represent himself. Later on the Egyptians considered this as a 
sungod, which with its smiling countenance, greeted the rising 
sun beyond the Mokattan Mountains. Now the face is very 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



badly damaged, because the Arabs have used it as a mark to 
shoot at. The nose and the beard are gone. Although the face 
is so badly damaged, there is a certain majesty and nobility 
in it. The eyes appear as if they were looking into the unknown 
distance, and there is a smile on the lips. As a watchman this 
image has stood there from the gray dawn of history. It was 
here when proud and populous Memphis sent its armies forth 
into the world to conquer its enemies. Here it stood when 
Abraham, the father of the faithful, came to this fruitful valley, 
and when his descendants came down to this country, serving 
as slaves, in yonder Goshen, building the storehouse cities, 
Rameses and Pithom. Here it stood when the 20,000 cities of 
the land of Egypt were being built. It has seen proud Cambyses, 
king of the Persians, conquer Egypt in 525 B. C. Here this 
sphinx stood, when the king of Macedonia, Alexander, founded 
the city of Alexandria, and here it stood when the Ptolemaeans, 
who ruled from 323 to 30 B. C, carried the scepter over Egypt. 
Here it witnessed the conquest of the country by the Mohamme- 
dans in 641, and here it has observed how the Mameluks were 
brought into the country as slaves, and then served as soldiers. 
"What changes in the history of this land! What great events 
have not taken place here; and this sphinx has been watching 
all this on his elevated pedestal. 

About 150 feet from the sphinx is a granite temple, just 
recently excavated, and is called the temple of the sphinx. This 
was discovered by Mariette in 1853. This temple is built of 
granite and is very well preserved. 

I have seen the pyramids and the sphinx, and now we must 
go farther on. I confess that it was very difficult to tear myself 
loose from this place, about which I had heard so much. A visit 
to the pyramids reminded me very forcibly of the great questions 



[465] 



THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



of the soul. We should ever mind how we build in reference 
to the coming eternity. The work of the ancient Egyptians has 
stood the test. How shall our work for the future stand the 
test? What kind of monuments shall we erect for the days to 
come? 



| 4C() J 



Chapter XXVI 



SAKKARA AND MEMPHIS 

THIS time we are going through Sakkara to Memphis. My 
guide, Said, followed me on this highly interesting journey. 
Towards the west, as far as we can see, there is sand, sand, noth- 
ing but sand. The whole stretch from the Gizeh Pyramids to 
Memphis is nothing less than a cemetery. It was a peculiar 
journey. Everywhere we saw pieces of bones, or parts of hands 
and feet stick up from the sand. Who can count how many 
millions are slumbering here underneath this sand? All along 
the plain of sand there are pyramids, now and then we see 
Beduins watching their flocks along the edge of the valley and 
sometimes we meet tourists riding on camels. We rode on white 
donkeys and the boys ran behind, urging our donkeys onward 
with their whips. These boys were quite merry, and it was a 
conundrum to me how these boys could run along in the sand, 
as they did all day long. When I asked them if they were not 
tired, they answered, ' ' We are used to it. ' ' Poor boys ! They 
have had no opportunity to educate themselves, and for this 
reason they will have to be mule drivers all their lives. 

Our journey in the desert to the house of Mariette proved 
to be very tiresome. This house is located way out in Sakkara. 
This prominent Egyptologist lived here on the edge of the desert, 
while he made his investigations in this great cemetery. We 
went into the house and found a great many tourists taking 
dinner. The house of Mariette stands in a very interesting 
place. About six hundred feet to the west from here is Serapium. 



[467] 



THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 

Here we find subterranean tombs, in which the ox Apis, dedi- 
cated to the god Ptah, was placed in a stone chest, having been 
regularly embalmed. Here we are at the center of this abomi- 
nable Apis worship. Above these subterranean tombs a temple to 
the honor of Osiris- Apis was erected, whence the name Serapeion. 
Here we took our dinner ; then, accompanied by my guide, Said, 
I went with a light in my hand into these subterranean vaults, 
where people and oxen have found their last resting place. Some 
of these subterranean passages formed a circle, along the cir- 
cumference of which the bodies were placed in sarcophagi. 
These sarcophagi were very well made and manifest a great care 
of their dead. To me it appeared almost hideous to pass along 
these lonely passages. The dead were not here any more, though, 
with the exception of a few cases where the tombs had not been 
plundered. Among others I visited one which was particularly 
light and beautiful. The light came in from above, and on the 
walls were images of oxen, birds and human beings. The paint- 
ing on the marble wall was as plain as though it had been done 
yesterday. Think of the work that they have done here! In 
these subterranean vaults, as well as on the obelisks and in the 
temples, there are a great many of these hieroglyphs, the language 
of the old Egyptians. For centuries this language was a sealed 
book, and desperate attempts were made to find the key to it, 
but, as it seemed, all in vain. During the seventeenth and 
eighteenth centuries many learned men endeavored to explain 
this writing but without any results. The renowned Jesuit, 
Athanasius Kirshner (1601-1680) was one of those who studied 
this hard problem. In the beginning of the nineteenth century 
some headway was made. The Englishman, Young, the Swede, 
Okerblad, and the Frenchman, Sassey, worked diligently on 
this problem of solving the hieroglyphics, and succeeded quite 
well. It was the Frenchman, Francois Champlonion who found 

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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



the key to this script ; in 1822 he discovered the alphabet. With 
the aid of the Rosetta Stone the riddle was solved, and proved 
to be one of the great triumphs of science. This stone, found in 
1799 at the fortress of St. Julian, at the Rosetta branch of the 
Nile, near the Mediterranean Sea, is now preserved in the British 
Museum. We have already spoken of this discovery. The first 
step in solving the mystery of the hieroglyphic writings was 
taken when they understood that these signs, which are enclosed 
in so-called cartouches, were names of kings. Now if the name 
of Cleopatra was found in one group, for instance, then one 
character must signify I and another r. Now if we compare 
this group of hieroglyphics with another one which possibly 
represents Alexander, then the same letters must be found in 
this group, too. And behold this was the case. In this way they 
found the letters I and r. Champollion had discovered the key 
to the riddle and now one letter after another was found. Mr. 
H. Brugsch was the one who discovered that in conformity to 
other Semitic languages, no vowels were used, only consonants. 
With the aid of the Coptic language, a daughter language to the 
old Egyptian, they proceeded to the solution of the problem, so 
that we now can read the hieroglyphic writing nearly as readily 
as the Hebrew. The faithful work of the scientists was crowned 
with success. What was considered an absolute impossibility 
for centuries is now done very easily. The old Egyptian monu- 
ments and tombs open up their secrets, and we now read the 
language of the ancient Pharaohs. Wonderful things have been 
accomplished during the last century! We left the house of 
Mariette and rode in a southeasterly direction, passing by the 
Stair Pyramid. The sides of this monument resemble a stair. 
This is the boundary line of Sakkara. Here is the grave of King 
Zosers, built during the third dynasty. This is 196 feet high, 
and is built from smaller limestone blocks. 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 

Now we come into the real Necropolis of Sakkara, and this 
is about four and a half miles long and a quarter of a mile wide. 
A little before we came to the Stair Pyramid, we were shown 
the cemetery where they have found mummies of cats and ibis 
birds. In this cemetery the spade has been used most diligently, 
and everywhere we observe pieces of bones sticking up out of the 
sand. On this plain we found a high roadbed. Along the road 
we observed beautiful palm groves in whose shadow the cattle 
found a much needed shelter from the sun. Now we came in 
on the plain where the ancient Memphis was located. 

If it were not for the immense cemetery at the western 
boundary of the Nile Valley, we could hardly realize that the 
most populous and prominent city in ancient times was located 
here. Menes, the first historic king of Egypt, is spoken of as 
the founder of this city. Here and there we saw ruins of fallen 
buildings. The prominent part of this city seems to have been 
located where the villages Bedrashein and Mit Rahineh are 
found. At the last named place there is a great palm grove 
about the miserable houses. A little distance toward the south- 
east from the village Mit Rahineh are two statues of Rameses II. 
The first was discovered by Caviglia and Sloane in 1820. This 
one is found inside of walls made of sun-dried clay, and above 
its middle they have erected a kind of bridge, to which we came 
on a little stair. From this place you can look down upon the 
colossal statue. This is made of limestone, and is forty feet 
high. The artificial beard is placed on the chin, and in the belt 
is a dagger with two falcon heads. Right by this statue we find 
some fragments with the name of Rameses II. Not far from this 
statue is another which was discovered in 1188. This is made 
of granite, is placed on an elevation, and is only twenty-five 
feet long; with the crown it is six and a half feet longer. The 
name of the king is inscribed on the shoulders, the girdle and 

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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



bracelet. On the left side of the statue is a little image of the 
princess, Ben Anat. Right here where these statues were found 
was the heart of the ancient Memphis, which in the Bible is 
called Noph. Isaiah says: "The princes of Zoan are become 
fools, the princes of Noph are deceived; they have also seduced 
Egypt, even they that are the stay of the tribes thereof" 
(Is. 19 :13). The prophet spoke of the suppression of the people, 
and behold, it was suppressed, and the great capital with all its 
pomp and glory was sunk down in the earth. Memphis, or as it 
was called in the old Egyptian language, Men-Nufer, was the 
seat of the monarchs for a long succession of years. Here J oseph 
lived and served as governor, and in this city the Pharaohs 
lived while Israel was in Egypt. The sediments of the Nile, 
gathered during thousands of years, now rest over the proud 
city, and palm trees are waving their crowns over the ruins 
where the mighty seat of Osiris stood. Only smaller fragments 
are now left of the old temple, which was the principal glory 
of the city of Memphis. The words of the prophecy regarding 
this city has been literally fulfilled: "I will destroy the idols, 
and I will cause their images to cease out of Noph; and there 
shall be no more a prince of the land of Egypt : and I will put 
a fear in the land of Egypt" (Ez. 30:13-18). How many citi- 
zens there were in Noph when the city was at its height cannot 
be determined now, nor will this number ever be known, and 
still less can we find out how many were carried across the lake 
and found their last resting place in Necropolis. Some have 
supposed that about 25,000,000 slumber in the oldest and greatest 
cemetery in the world. A great throng ! 

In the afternoon we started back. It was dark when the 
train rolled in at the station in Cairo. I had seen a great deal 
of this interesting city, and on the 28th of October I was ready 

[471] 



THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



to continue my journey to Alexandria. I did not leave Cairo 
without a certain regret, as here are many things of interest to 
observe, many things to study, and here I had had an occasion 
to look into Egyptian history as at no other place. Here is a 
rich territory for study. 



[472] 



Chapter XXVII 



FROM CAIRO VIA ALEXANDRIA TO NAPLES 

IT was early in the morning when I boarded the train that 
should take me to Alexandria. Our train takes us very 
quickly down to the Delta, and here we can obtain an idea of 
how the Egyptian fellaheen live on this plain. Here and there 
along the road long caravans march, and now and then 
we see an ox and an ass work at the waterwheel. In this way 
they send the water out on the plains from the wells. Along the 
plain we see now and then a miserable looking hut made of sun- 
dried clay, and roof of straw and hay. It is the home of the 
Egyptian farmer. It is very plain. Only a jar of water, a pot, 
and some other things — that is all you will find in this plain 
home. We must not mention anything about the vermin found 
therein. Poor people! 

Along this rich valley we soon arrive at Tanta, a city with 
something like 60,000 inhabitants, and located between the 
Rosetta and Damietta branches of the Nile. Here is a chief 
seat for the Mohammedans; it is a kind of Mecca, and in the 
month of July they celebrate great festivities there, when about 
half a million people gather to celebrate the festival of Ahmed 
el-Bedawis. This man was born in the twelfth century, and 
having made a pilgrimage to Mecca, settled here. A mosque is 
erected to his honor, and great throngs gather to celebrate this 
festivity in a most licentious manner. On the altar of the lusts 
they sacrifice thousands of dollars, and become regular spend- 
thrifts. Here is the residence of the Khedive, and there are a 



[473 ] 



THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



great many beautiful residences here. At the station we saw 
great heaps of cotton, grain and other products, waiting to be 
exported to foreign lands. Egypt is still a granary, the land is 
very fruitful, and water is flowing around in the dikes, where 
we see sail-boats moving around. The uniformity of the plain 
was broken by palm groves and orchards. 

In a short while we arrived at the shores of Lake Mariotis. 
The railroad follows the shore for quite a distance before we 
come to Alexandria. In ancient times its shores were almost 
covered with villas. This land was very fruitful, and Horace 
and Virgil praise the wine which was made here. During the 
Middle Ages this lake dried up. When the English besieged 
Alexandria in 1801, they opened the canal at the Mediterranean 
Sea at Aboukir, let in the water, and in this way destroyed one 
hundred and fifty villages. The lake covers seventy thousand 
acres at present, although Mohammed Ali did all he could to 
restore the land for cultivation. The present Khedive is en- 
deavoring to occupy the land for cultivation even to the Libyan 
desert. This part of the land is inhabited by Beduins, who live 
by agriculture and cattle raising. 

At half past ten we were at the station at Alexandria. The 
agent at Cairo had informed Cook & Son about my arrival in 
Alexandria. Their representative met me here, and took good 
care of me during my stay in that city. My stay here was not 
very long, but I did my best to see as much of this historic city 
as I could. Alexandria is located on the small neck of land on 
whose northwestern side extends the Mediterranean Sea, and 
on the southeastern side is Lake Mareotis. The city, which 
numbers 362,750 inhabitants, has an excellent location for a 
business center. There are about forty-six thousand Europeans 
here, most of them Greeks and Italians. These have their quar- 
ters in the eastern part of the city. 

[474] 



THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 

There are two harbors here, the eastern and the western. 
These are protected by artificial walls, and here the ships find 
protection. Alexandria was founded by Alexander the Great 
in 331, while he was carrying on war here in Egypt. The clear- 
sighted Macedonian intended to make this city a central point 
for the Oriental trade, and it is still the greatest merchant city 
in Africa. Napoleon saw at once the significance of Alexandria 
as a base for his operations in his campaigns in the East. The 
architect of the city was the competent Deinocrates, the same 
man who built the renowned Diana Temple at Ephesus. For 
centuries this city was the seat of riches, science and power. 
When Alexander died, his kingdom was divided, and Ptole- 
maeus I (323-285 B. C.) became his successor in Egypt. During 
his reign Alexandria became a resort for artists and men of 
science. Here we find the orator, Demetrius, the painter, Apelles, 
the mathematician, Euclid, and the physician, Erosistratus. 
Ptolemaeus founded the renowned museum, which became a 
resort for learned men. During the time of his successor, Ptole- 
maeus Philadelphus (285-247), the Old Testament was trans- 
lated from Hebrew into Greek. This was done in the following 
manner: Seventy Jewish rabbis were closed up each one in a 
cell on Tarus, an island on the Nile, and translated the Old Testa- 
ment books in seventy versions, and when they compared them 
with one another, they were found to be exactly alike. This 
translation has been called Septuagenta. This was the trans- 
lation in use at the time of our Saviour. Here they founded 
a very comprehensive library. It is said that there were four 
hundred thousand volumes in it already in the time of Ptole - 
maeus. The king wished to have the Old Testament translated 
for this library. When it was burned by Emperor Theodosius 
and his bishop, Theophilus, it numbered 900,000 volumes. There 

[475 ] 



THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 

is a legend that Omar burned it in the year 640, but this has not 
been found to be in accordance with facts. 

At this place Cleopatra and the Caesars ruled in their 
splendor and glory. At the mouth of the Nile there was an 
island by the name of Pharos, which was united with the main- 
land by the so-called Hepta-Stadion. At the east end of this 
island was the lighthouse Pharos, which was 551 feet high. 
This was erected by Ptolomaeus Philadelphus and was con- 
sidered one of the seven wonders of the world. The fire which 
was burning at its top threw its light about a hundred miles 
over the Mediterranean Sea. Sostratus served as architect for 
this lighthouse. 

Christianity was brought to this city very early. It is 
supposed that Mark was the first Christian bishop here, and 
here he became a martyr. The Christian church at this place 
had many prominent teachers during the early centuries. Here 
we have Clemens Alexandrinus (220) and Origen (254), both 
leading men in the school of Alexandria. This school had re- 
ceived its special tendency, called Gnosticism, from the school 
of Philo and Neoplatonism. They laid special stress upon this 
tendency. Here we have also the powerful champion for ortho- 
doxy, Athanasius (373) and his opponent, Arius. During the 
persecutions the Christians suffered great hardships. Alexandria 
has also its catacombs from that time, but they have been 
changed into stone quarries. A visit to that place is hardly 
worth while. 

Here we have the old pillars of Pompey, the oldest relic in 
the city, a hundred feet high. Here stood the obelisks of Cleo- 
patra. One of them was brought to London in 1878. The other 
one was brought to New York in 1880, where it is still standing. 
Removed from its home country to another climate, this obelisk 

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seems to be subject to a process of erosion, and may be damaged 
in the course of time. 

I walked around a great deal along the streets to get an 
idea of this ancient metropolis. At the wharf I saw how the 
raging storm brought foaming waves towards the shore. They 
had built a wall of stone along the coast as a protection against 
the waves. The houses in the eastern part of the city were 
quite near the shore. Here I sat for a long time, watching the 
billows. In a few hours I was destined to cross this sea on my 
way to Italy. The life on the streets in Alexandria is of an 
Oriental nature. Yet we observe the European influence every- 
where in the city, — in the stores, workshops, and the private 
dwelling places. There is very little left of the ancient city. 
The old has passed away and upon the ruins a new city has 
risen. Here and there we observe parts of the early buildings, 
such as Serapium, the Temple of Serapis. At that time this 
was the greatest building in the world with the exception of the 
Roman Capitol. 

Tired because of my many wanderings in the city, I went 
to Thomas Cook & Sons to take care of my baggage and take 
it to the boat. This was the best that I could do, as there are 
so many things to do before one departs from the country. I 
must secure a physician's testimony that I was well and did 
not carry any sickness to the boat. Then we must have per- 
mission from the authorities to leave the country, and I do not 
know how many places we must visit. The whole thing cost me 
only five francs, and this was certainly reasonable. I wish to 
advise others to do the same, namely to deliver yourself in the 
hands of Thomas Cook & Sons, and they will take good care of 
you. 

I came to the boat in time. The steamer belonged to an 
Italian steamship company, and was anchored at the western 



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harbor. This is quite a distance from the office. I went aboard 
the steamer for the last time in Egypt, and I felt very pleased 
that I had left the Turks and their police escort. It is very 
interesting to travel in these countries, but you are always re- 
quired to show your passport, or tesquere, as though you were 
up to mischief all the time. But it is much easier to travel in 
Egypt than in Turkey proper. 

In the afternoon at three o'clock our boat steamed out of 
the harbor. It was the 23rd of October. We steam along be- 
tween a number of smaller boats, and we have to the right the 
great lighthouse. But this is not the old Pharos. This has been 
buried under the billows for a long time. The one now in use 
has been built quite recently. As soon as we came outside of the 
harbor Orione began to roll a little. It looked to be quite large 
at the wharf, but it seemed very small now. The wind was with 
us, and this was a great help. 

My journey in the land of the Pharaohs was ended, and a 
very interesting one it had been. There is Alexandria along 
the coast, and to the right the Libyan desert is extending towards 
the southwest. It did not take long before the coastline of Africa 
with the lively coast town, Alexandria, sank beneath the waves. 
The last glimpse we saw was the top of the lighthouse, and then 
we were out on the wide and open ocean. Farewell, thou land 
of the Pharaohs; thou hast also thy Biblical memories, since 
within thy boundaries the chosen people dwelt, and through 
their leaders God made signs and wonders. Thy monuments 
shall to the end of time bear a faithful testimony of the truth- 
fulness of the Scripture, and long sealed graves have already 
delivered their dead, which in their own way shall bear testimony 
of the truth of God's word. At the present time we observe 
the great need of the gospel truth for the oppressed people of 
the Nile Valley. 

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The farther we came out on the ocean, ^the stronger became 
the storm. I sat on the deck until darkness set in, and beheld 
how the waves were rolling on the blue deep waters, while our 
Orione worked its way on the wide expanse in the dark evening. 
As I did not feel very well, I went to bed early. My room- 
mate on the boat, whom I had never met before, a German en- 
gineer, was traveling through the world. He came from India 
and was going to Mexico. In many ways he was a pleasant 
personality, but sadly enough a freethinker. I did not dispute 
with him, as I well knew that it was not worth while. At one 
time he said that there were so much unreasonable things in 
Christianity. I retorted that there was much more unreason- 
ableness in rationalism than in Christianity, and then he kept 
quiet. The following day, October 29, the storm had subsided 
somewhat, and later on in the day it was almost a calm. At 
dinner there were a good many tourists and the tables were all 
occupied, but the passengers were very pale from seasickness. 

At three o'clock in the afternoon the island of Crete comes 
within our horizon, and we pass along its coast, not very far 
from the shore. This island appeared to be very mountainous, 
and was much like the Grecian islands. Here we are reminded 
that Titus was bishop among the Cretans. The Apostle Paul 
placed him there to tend to the needs of the church. Paul's 
letter to this bishop is a most excellent epistle, which he wrote 
shortly before his death in Rome in the year 67. The people on 
this island must have been very ungodly, as he describes their 
spiritual condition by quoting what one of their prophets had 
said: "The Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, slow bellies" 
(Tit. 1:12). When the apostle was sent to Rome after his cap- 
tivity for two years at Caesarea, he passed by this island, just 
about where our steamer is plowing the billows with the same 
goal as we have — Rome. He sailed by the eastern end of the 

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island and along the southern side until he came to Beautiful 
Havens. A little farther on is the island of Claudia, and at 
the southwestern end of Crete the city of Phoenix. Prom this 
place he was brought by a strong wind in an Alexandrian vessel 
called Euroclydon, westward on the Mediterranean Sea over 
about the same course as our boat is now taking. It was about 
the same time of the year that Paul sailed along these waters 
(Acts 27). 

The sea was very calm, and I sat on the deck watching my 
fellow passengers. It was a mixed crowd of Italians, French- 
men, and Mohammedans from Syria, who were on their way to 
South America, and a few Germans. On the whole it was a very 
pleasant company. There were many Italian priests and monks 
with Petrian tonsure, who were walking around on the deck in 
their coarse looking garments, with a rosary and a cross at their 
side. Some were reading their prayer books very faithfully. 

When I arose in the morning, October 30th, the sea was 
very calm. *The blue surface of the Mediterranean was very 
beautiful. Later on in the day the storm began to roar, and in 
the afternoon the sea was very unruly. I kept myself in the 
cabin, reading and resting all the day. At supper many were 
absent because of the hard storm. October 31st was Sunday. 
I arose quite early as I hoped to see the coast of Italy, and be- 
hold, there was the mountainous coast range to the right of the 
ship, when I came upon the deck. It was Calabria, or that part 
of Italy which we usually call the toe of the Italian boot. This 
country looked to be very barren and desolate. There were no 
trees and along the shore there were certain villas, small cities 
and orchards. To the left we saw the island of Sicily, an equally 
barren and desolate mountainous region, with the volcano, Aetna. 
This mountain is quite near the coast, and in the early morning 



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hour its top was concealed in a white cloud. We are now going 
through the Messina Sound. 

Here the Apostle Paul sailed along, having suffered ship- 
wreck outside of Malta, and landed on yonder coast of Italy. 
To the right we see Raegium, where Paul landed (Acts 28:13). 
The farther north we come the narrower is the sound. At ten 
o'clock in the forenoon we are right opposite the cities which 
became so badly ruined during the devastating earthquake in 
these sections. The sound is about a mile wide. We can clearly 
see the ruins of St. Giovanni and Raegium. Our boat anchored 
in the harbor at Messina. Here we landed so as to be able to 
observe the terrible desolation. We went around the city, and 
as we saw the ruins there were two things that surprised me, 
namely, the total destruction by the earthquake and the general 
Sunday work. We could see no difference between the Lord's 
day and a week day. They bought and sold as they would do 
any other day; out on the street they were working very dili- 
gently, and in the barber shops they seemed to be very busy also. 
No wonder that the punishment came with such a devastation 
over so ungodly a generation. But the punishment did not 
seem to have exerted any influence upon the people. In the city 
there were 150,000 inhabitants, and about 100,000 were killed 
by the earthquake, which took place the twenty-eighth of Decem- 
ber, 1908, at half past four in the morning. There were three 
hard quakes and in a little while eighty thousand people were 
killed. To describe the appearance of the city as I was trying 
to find my way along the streets, filled with ruins, is impossible 
for me. Nothing has been done to restore the city, because 
they fear that if they commence to stir the ruins before the 
bodies have become decayed, they will thereby cause pestilence. 
For this reason they are delaying the repair of the city. 

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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 

A passenger on the Orione told me that two girls, one seven 
and the other ten years of age, were saved in a most wonderful 
way. As the houses fell over them, they were protected by some 
beams. They kept alive for fifteen days, during which time 
they sustained themselves with oil and bread. While soldiers 
were marching along the Garibaldi Street, they heard the cries 
of the children, and went to their rescue. It is wonderful how 
God protects in the hour of danger. At five o 'clock in the 
evening Orione lifted anchor and steamed out of the harbor and 
along the sound. At half past six we passed between Scylla 
and Charybdis. Scylla is a mountain ridge which extends from 
Calabria, and this is surrounded with a great many dangerous 
cliffs. Charybdis is a whirlpool opposite this rocky point, and 
located towards the coast of Sicily. This was a very dangerous 
pass to sail through, especially when small vessels were used. 
The expression "between Scylla and Charybdis" signifies the 
difficulty of passing through a place where there are dangers 
on both sides. I expected to see the Lighthouse of the Mediter- 
ranean, Stromboli, on the Lipari Islands, but as the evening 
was somewhat foggy, I missed this ' ' play of nature. ' ' The next 
morning I came up on the deck very early to observe the Italian 
coast. There is a certain romantic atmosphere over this country. 
The coast is mountainous and barren. For some time before 
we entered the harbor of Naples we saw the island of Capri, 
where the Emperor Tiberius used to stay occasionally. We saw 
Vesuvius as we were far out at sea, and beheld a pillar of smoke 
ascending from its crater. The harbor of Naples is very beauti- 
ful. It was easy to get through the custom house, and then we 
went to the Hotel Metropol & Ville. We are at Naples, one of 
the most beautiful cities of Italy. We felt that we had come 
quite a distance on our way home. In the neighborhood of 

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Naples there are two cities which I wished to see, and they were 
Pompeii and Puteoli. 

The very first day at Naples I found out that Mustapha Faid 
had spoken the truth, and that the " people at Naples are a 
wicked generation." At the wharf I engaged a man to bring 
my baggage to the railroad station, where I intended to place it 
in the baggage room and have it checked, but the rascal did not 
wish to bring it over to the station, and so he brought it to 
another place to have it weighed. What his object was in doing 
that I could not understand. I could not make him bring my 
baggage to the station, so I paid him and brought it over there 
myself. Several times I saw that you have a crooked generation 
to deal with when you come to Naples. During the limited time 
at Naples I wished to see as much as possible, and so I went 
up on the heights in the northwestern part of the city. Here you 
have a most excellent view of the whole surroundings. Yonder 
is the volcano, Vesuvius ; on its top is a cloud and through this 
a pillar of smoke is rising towards the sky. All along the sides 
of the mountain there are vineyards and orchards and a great 
many houses. It is surprising that they have dared to build 
their homes on such a dangerous ground, in spite of the fact 
that this volcano is apt to have an eruption any time. Below 
us is the Bay of Naples, where ships from all parts of the earth 
are coming and going. In the distance we see high mountain 
ranges and along the valleys there are villages and smaller cities. 
In the afternoon of the second of November we visited the 
museum, and found quite a few things of interest. The statues 
from the early history of the country are very interesting. Here 
are a great many things to be seen from Pompeii. Among other 
objects of interest there are loaves of bread which have been 
found in the baking ovens of that place. This certainly ought 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 

to be very stale, as it is about two thousand years old. It looked 
very black. 

In this museum there is a certain chamber called Camara 
Secreta, the Secret Chamber. Here we find objects so hideous, so 
fearful that it makes a person shudder to look at them. It is 
well that children are not admitted into this chamber. If these 
statues and figures are a reflex of the public and private life 
of Pompeii, the moral condition of the people must have been 
fearful. Unchastity must have been their bosom sin. The pic- 
tures manifest such a depravity that it is beyond belief, and a 
person shudders at the sight of them. I could not stay very 
long in this place. My visit to this chamber was very instructive 
as to the moral condition in Italy about two thousand years ago, 
and these object lessons prove conclusively the great need of a 
Redeemer from sin and vice. 

The museum at Naples is very interesting as a whole. From 
this place we traveled around in the stores to find out how 
they are doing business in this part of Italy. Here I saw for 
the first time the so-called ' ' galleria, ' ' streets covered with glass. 
It was a great pleasure to walk around in these places. In a 
way they remind me of the bazaars of the Orient. Here they 
sell everything you might want. 

Naples is a very beautiful city. The saying, "See Naples 
and die," is a strong expression, and yet there is something 
in it. The parks are very attractive, and the marble statues 
and monuments add to the beauty. The balmy air which breathes 
against us everywhere reminds me that we are in a southern 
land. Here we find many old churches and schools from the 
Middle Ages, but our time does not permit us to visit them. 
We must make excursions to some interesting places outside of 
the city of Naples ; we have reference to Puteoli and Pompeii. 



[484] 



Chapter XXVIII 



POMPEII AND PUTEOLI 

THE third of November I made the excursion to Pompeii. 
We went down to the station and by railroad to this most 
interesting place. The road passes around the volcano Vesuvius. 
Here we saw streams of lava, which at the last eruption flowed 
down the sides of the mountain. Pompeii is located on the 
southeastern side of the volcano. We came to the ancient city 
in a comparatively short time, bought tickets and began our 
walk along the streets in the "City of the Dead." I have read 
somewhat about this very interesting place, and now I have the 
pleasure of walking along the streets and seeing these remarkable 
ruins. 

The reader is familiar with the fact that Pompeii and Her- 
culaneum were destroyed in the year 79 A. D., during a severe 
outbreak of the volcano. If it were not for the fact that many 
antiquities have been preserved for posterity, Pompeii would 
not have the fame which now rests upon it. The volcano, located 
so near, and which had been slumbering for centuries, began all 
of a sudden to throw fire and lava, burying these cities under 
debris and ashes. It was in this eruption that Plinius the Older 
lost his life near this dangerous place. The cities were covered 
with from eighteen to twenty feet of ashes, lava and volcanic 
stones, which the Italians call "lapilli." Pompeii and Her- 
culaneum became, so to speak, lost to the world. No one seemed 
to know where they were located, and orchards and vineyards 
were planted over them. In the year 1748 a man who was digging 

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a well happened to find a house, and this gave occasion to com- 
mence the excavation. In 1755 this work of unearthing the city 
began with all earnestness, and now the greater part of the 
city is uncovered. It is about a mile wide and just about the 
same length. The streets are about twenty feet wide, sometimes 
even twelve, and this includes the sidewalks on both sides. The 
streets are paved with large lava stones. In these we find the 
wheel tracks along the streets, and this gives us an idea of the 
width between the carriage wheels. In the nature of the case 
these streets are of very great interest to the tourist. Here we get 
an idea also as to how the ancient Italians lived. Among the 
various streets you find the living houses of the rich and the 
poor as well. Here we see bathhouses, factories, bakeries and 
ovens in good shape. In these they have found bread and fried 
meat, etc. Here you learn how they built their houses and how 
they decorated them. Some of the homes were very well deco- 
rated. In some of the houses there are such hideous looking 
paintings on the walls that they make almost anyone shudder 
at the sight. Here we saw their waterworks, the theater, the 
forum and bathing places, the Isis temple and the courthouse, 
etc., etc. At the southeast end of the excavated place there is 
a museum, and here they have placed the things which they have 
found, such as jars, instruments and furniture, etc. Here you 
see dead bodies, which they found on the streets and in the build- 
ings. In their faces we can almost read how they felt in their 
agony, when the death-dealing volcano poured out ashes and 
lava on their city. But these bodies are notliing else than stucco- 
work, and they have secured them in the following way : When 
the ashes and lava together with the water fell down it formed 
a kind of dough, which placed itself very closely to the bodies, 
filling every crevice. During the course of time the bodies were 
decayed and cavities were formed, showing the crevices of the 



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clothes and the expression of the faces. Whenever the ex- 
cavators came to such a cavity they poured a thin mixture of 
plaster of paris into the cavity; and when this mixture became 
hard it looked just like the body, which at one time was lodged 
in this cavity. We saw a great many such "bodies." A visit 
to this ruin is highly interesting. Here we are reminded how 
suddenly the judgment of the Lord came upon this city. They 
knew nothing of the danger until the stream of lava came down 
and destroyed their city and killed its citizens. Let us at this 
time recall the words of the Master, ' * Be ye therefore ready also : 
for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not" 
(Luke 12:40). 

Having seen all there was to be seen in this ruin, we went 
to a hotel and took dinner, and then returned to Naples by the 
very same way we had come. There was a thick fog on the top 
of the mountain, and we did not wish to ascend ; and even if we 
had gone up, we could not have seen the vicinity around the 
volcano. We spent the rest of the day in observing some inter- 
esting sights in the city of Naples. 

Another day we went out to see Puteoli, and we took the 
street car to that place. Within an hour we were there. Puteoli, 
or as it is now called Puzzuoli, has 28,000 inhabitants, is located 
near a bay north of Naples, and is a very dirty city. Led by a 
guide we went to a volcanic crater in the vicinity, called Piccolo 
Vesuvio, or the Little Vesuvius. Here we walked around in the 
crater for a long time, and listened to the noise of the water 
boiling under the crust which we were walking on. Pillars of 
smoke and steam arose here and there. There were certain 
places designated where we could go, and where the crust was 
too thin there was a rope strung around the dangerous places. 
On the east side of the crater is a cave or grotto, and it is claimed 
that the Emperor of Rome came here to be cured from rheuma- 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



tism. "We went into this cave, but the sulphur steam was so hot 
that we could not stay there more than a few minutes. It was 
very interesting to see this crater, and this made up for the 
disappointment at our inability to see the crater of Vesuvius. 
This volcano has destroyed Puzzuoli several times. The city is 
quite near the crater. During the journey we observed with 
great interest the romantic bay down there. Here the emperors 
of Rome used to live in villas which they built along the shore. 
The scenery is very grand around here. 

The amphitheatre is very near and it is still in good shape. 
Here many a Christian has been thrown before the wild beasts, 
to be torn to pieces and thus receive the crown of a martyr. 
Down in the valley are the ruins of the Serapeum Temple. The 
ruins indicate that this must have been a grand structure at 
some time. Near by is the place where Saint Paul is said to have 
landed on his way to Rome. This journey he made about the 
year 60 A. D. At this place, right by the wharf, the Catholics 
have built a chapel. Here Paul found the brethren, who asked 
him to remain with them, and here he staid for seven days 
(Acts 28:14). As we returned from this excursion we observed 
some very beautiful residences along the shore and on the islands. 
Having returned to Naples, we went to bed very early, as the 
following day would find us on the way to Rome. The next 
morning as we were on the way to the station, it rained as though 
the windows of heaven had been opened. I came to the station 
in time and boarded the train for the "Eternal City." We 
passed along the base of Vesuvius and then in a northwesterly 
direction through valleys and along the hillsides through a very 
picturesque country. About noontime we saw before us a wide, 
open plain and mountains in the distance; on yonder plain we 
see the glimpses of a city. It is Rome. As our train speeds 
along we see towards the left the aqueduct of Claudius, and quite 



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a pile of ruins along its course. At 11 :45, the fourth of Novem- 
ber, our train rolled into the station at Rome. Here I left my 
baggage at the railroad station, and went out in the city to look 
up a hotel. I found such a place quite near the station. I am 
now in the city of the ancient Caesars. 



[ 489 ] 



Chapter XXIV 



IN THE ETERNAL CITY, ROME 
OW what shall we say about this city, so full of historical 



1) interest? In less than a week you cannot see everything 
that there is to be seen ; but the tourist gets an idea of the most 
interesting objects. Here is the city of the popes, and here is 
the residence of these bishops of the Catholic church. Rome is 
full of ruins and no matter where you go, you see ruins stick out 
between the houses and around the temples. But where shall we 
go first of all? Let us go to St. Peter's Church on the north 
side of the Tiber. In a street car we soon reach this destination. 
In a short time we see the immense cupola and the great cross 
above it. Remember we are in the city of the popes. Priests, 
dressed in black garments, are walking around on the streets 
everywhere, and on the spires of the churches there are crosses. 
Even the old pantheon has been changed to a sanctuary, and 
on the roof is a cross. A little distance from St. Peter's Church 
we stepped off the street car and walked towards the open space, 
in front of the church. In the middle of this open space there is 
an obelisk from Egypt. Here we have the Vatican, near the 
church, to the right. We enter this, the greatest temple in the 
Catholic world, and to be sure this is a most imposing sanctuary. 
I shall not endeavor to describe it, but this much I wish to say, 
that this church is the most beautiful edifice that I saw during 
my journey. I went in here often to admire the wonderful 
architecture, the beautiful paintings, the adorned altars, and the 
many chapels. Indeed, Michael Angelo could build! Here is 




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the largest church in the world. April 18th, 1506, the foundation 
was laid by Pope Julius II. Leo X gathered money for this 
structure by the sale of indulgences. 

As we enter the door we have to the right an image of 
Christine, the queen of Sweden, who left her faith and became a 
Catholic. Under this image there is a lengthy writing in Latin, 
describing how she was adopted in the Catholic faith. One thing 
is certain, and that is, that Queen Christine was very capricious 
and even frivolous, and yet she has been placed among the promi- 
nent women of the world, — for what reason we have not been 
able to determine. "The "World's History and Its Makers" has 
a great deal to say about this queen, while it has nothing to 
relate about her great father, Gustavus Adolphus II, who gave 
his life for the evangelical truth and liberty of conscience. He 
is not even mentioned in this work of history. 

Having seen this church, we went out to see the fortress, St. 
Angelo. This building has its history, and is very gloomy, 
indeed. We pass by this building on the bank of the Tiber and 
proceed to Monte Pinco. Here a band of music played very 
beautifully. Then darkness set in and thus my first day in Rome 
was ended. The following day we saw the Royal Palace. The 
reader may know that the Pope and the King of Italy are not 
very good friends. The latter has deprived the former of his 
political power, and now the Pope is a "prisoner in the Vatican." 
We also saw the Capitol Building, St. Andrew's Church, the 
Jewish Synagogue, Marcellus' Theatre at the bridge, the Vesta 
Temple, the Protestant cemetery, the Pyramid at the St. Paul 
Gate, and the gate of St. Sebastiano, along the Via Appia. Re- 
turning we observed the bathhouse of Caracalla, a ghost-like 
building. Then we came to the Coliseum. This is the largest 
of the ancient Roman buildings. The Emperor Vespasian began 
to build it in the year 72 A. D. This is also called the Amphi- 



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theatre of Flavins. On the site where the Coliseum is built a 
temple was erected to the honor of Isis. There is a hill here, 
once called Collis Isaeum, whence we have Coliseum. This build- 
ing had four stories, and these are very well preserved to the 
present time. Here and there they have been compelled to 
repair the walls. About 80,000 people found room here on these 
galleries. This building was used for gladiatorial combats, and 
here the Christians were thrown before wild animals. In the 
fourteenth century they used to have bull fights here, and at 
one time eighteen persons lost their lives at such fights. Because 
of the fact that a certain monk by the name of Telemachus at one 
of these gladiatorial combats went in the arena to separate the 
contending parties — and at this time was killed by stoning at 
the hands of the infuriated public in the Coliseum, — Honorius IV 
forbade such combats in the year 404. 

Near the Coliseum is the Triumphal Arch of Constantine. 
The nation erected this arch to commemorate Constantine 's 
victory over Maxentius and Licinus. This arch is a masterpiece 
and one of the most beautiful ever produced by Roman art. 
It is located on the Via Triomfale. 

As we are so near the palaces of the Caesars let us take a 
look at them for awhile. The ruins of the palaces are located 
near by. Here we can form an idea of how the ancient heathens 
lived. The rooms are decorated very beautifully, and you will no- 
tice on the floors very well-preserved mosaic work. On the wall we 
see paintings and paper well preserved. Here Nero, Caligula, 
and other Caesars have lived, and it seemed to me that their 
dark ghosts were still moving around in these ruined buildings. 
On the north side of these, which by the way occupy a very 
great tract, is the Forum. Here you find a number of pillars 
and ruins of fallen buildings. Here the present-day Romans 
have carried on extensive excavations, and now the tourist may 

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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



walk around on the very streets the old Romans used to walk on 
and gaze at. The streets are in a very good condition. At the 
eastern end of the Forum is the Triumphal Arch of Titus. This 
was erected to the honor of Titus, because of his victory over the 
Jews in the year 70. Inside of this arch you will still notice 
how the Romans carried away the seven-armed candlestick. A 
little farther to the west are the Pillars of Castor and Pullux 
Temple, the Temple of Augustus, the Senate Building, the Tri- 
umphal Arch of Septimus Severus, and many other objects of 
historical significance. Here is a world by itself, and you get 
a good idea of how ancient Rome looked. Near the Forum, at 
the northwestern side, is the Prison of Paul and Peter. This is 
a miserable place, and yet it may be possible that these heroes 
were incarcerated here. Here in this city they suffered martyr- 
dom in the year 67 A. D. 

While we are in Rome we must see the Catacombs. The 
6th of November we walked out there. We then passed by the 
Coliseum, and along the Via de San Gregorio, the old Via Tri- 
omfale, and a little farther on we turned into a street which 
leads us through the St. Sebastiano Gate; along this we passed 
the Circus Maximus, and turned to the left to see St. John's 
Church. The Catholic Pater was very kind in showing me his 
beautiful church. To the right of the street we find the tomb of 
Scipio. But there too many things of interest to note. We must 
But there are too many things of interest to note. We must 
hurry through the Sebastiano Gate and proceed along the Via 
Appia, which is guarded by stone walls for some distance outside 
the city. After some time we come to a small river, Almone. 
A little farther on we have a small chapel to the left of the road, 
called "Domine Quo Vadis?" We entered, and a woman met 
us and showed us around in the chapel. The ancient Via Appia 
passed along where this chapel is located. In the floor we see 



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the masonic work of the old street. Here they have placed a 
stone, which is an exact copy of the one which the Saviour is 
said to have stepped on and left a mark after his foot. Here 
Jesus is supposed to have met Peter, when he fled from his 
prison in the city, and as Peter asked him, " Whither are you 
going?" (Domine quo vadis?) Jesus answered, "To suffer death 
for you once more." This moved the disciple so that he went 
back to his prison. 

Leaving this chapel, we have still a good distance to the 
Catacombs, called St. Callisti. This is to the right of the road, 
and the entrance is in a certain yard. Here we found a monk, 
who showed us the way down among the Catacombs. It cost us 
one lira, or about twenty cents. At the entrance we kindled our 
lights, and, guided by the monk, we went through these sub- 
terranean passages. These are quite small, and along the sides 
we find niches, where the bodies of the dead were placed. Along 
these passages we find chapels, where religious services were held. 
Some of these niches had been opened, while others had not been 
disturbed. In others we saw the skeletons of the arms placed 
crosswise on the breast. On the walls we find the emblem of an 
anchor, Jonah in the ship, the fish, the Good Shepherd, etc. One 
of the illustrations represented Jesus performing the miracle 
with the bread. In another we saw seven men sitting at a table. 
"This represents the seven sacraments," said the guide. We 
went around these passages for a long time and saw the chapels. 
Some of them were very well painted. In one of these niches 
I saw the body of a woman in a coffin, and could easily see the 
hair, clothes, and the skeleton. In another of these places I saw 
a skeleton without any head, and the monk said, "Perhaps he 
was beheaded." The Callisti Catacombs are so long and com- 
prehensive that it would require three whole days to see them 
all. Here we are reminded of the struggle which the Christian 

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church was compelled to carry on in the earlier centuries of its 
history. Here they have had their places of refuge in the times 
when the heathen raged against them with hellish tyranny. 
Here they gathered for their services; here they prayed, read 
the word of God, and celebrated the Lord's Supper. In these 
niches they have indicated what constituted their hope in life 
and in death. With a moved heart I walked around in these 
Catacombs and thanked the Lord, who has spared us from such 
sufferings as they had to endure. As we came out of these tombs, 
I asked the monk if it was far to the Forum Appii and Tres 
Tabernae. He became somewhat puzzled and did not know what 
he should answer. When I noticed that he did not know any- 
thing about these Biblical places, I turned the conversation to 
some other subjects. Then I walked down along the road until 
I came to St. Sebastiano Catacomb. This one is smaller and 
not so much visited by the tourists. Then I returned to the city. 

The following day was Sunday. A Sunday in Rome ! Even 
in this city things were done on the Lord's day. This was, to 
say the least, surprising. I wished to attend the services in 
some church and went to one, quite near my hotel. This was a 
very beautiful church. Then I went by street car to the east end 
of the city to see the St. Agnes Catacomb. A church is built 
over the opening. Here high mass was celebrated. I asked the 
monk to be given the privilege of seeing the Catacomb, and he 
told me that he would take me down as soon as the mass was 
over. He told me also that the Catacomb is closed during Sun- 
days, but he would give me the privilege of seeing it, inasmuch 
as I was a tourist. I followed my good guide through these 
subterranean ducts. They are only three miles long. These 
Catacombs are in the main like the others I had seen. 

In the afternoon I went to the Lateran Church in the south- 
eastern part of the city. This church is very beautiful, and here 

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many of the popes are buried. Near by this is another building, 
and in this is the Scala Sancta. The middle stair of the five 
is the broadest and has twenty-eight steps. The Catholics tell us 
that this belonged to the house of Pilate in Jerusalem, and that 
Jesus went up and down on this stair. We recollect that Luther 
endeavored to creep up this stair, when these words resounded 
in his soul, "The just shall live by faith." 

We must see the Vatican. At ten o'clock in the forenoon 
I went there. First of all we went to the museum. Here we 
found a great collection of statues of the most beautiful kind. 
Into this place the popes have gathered, during the course of 
centuries, statues from near and far. This is one of the best 
museums I have visited. Here I saw the Laccoon group, and 
a she-wolf who gave suck to two children. The reader is familiar 
with the story of Romulus and Remus. We also went into the 
library, and in another place we saw the chamber of Raphael. 
Here we found an immense number of beautiful paintings. 
The painting representing the last judgment is very remarkable, 
but here we find many that we cannot even mention them all. 
From the balcony in this building we look down into the orchard 
of the Pope. A visit to the Vatican is worth while; there are 
many things to be seen here which you will not see anywhere 
else. As we went up to the museum we came to the main door 
of the Vatican, and here we found soldiers guarding the entrance. 
This reminded us very much of a royal palace ; and, indeed, the 
Pope has been a ruler in temporal matters as well until Victor 
Emmanuel deprived him of his scepter. It seemed rather strange 
that the Pope, who calls himself Servus Servorum Dei, and rep- 
resents himself to be the representative of Christ on earth, should 
live in such splendor and pomp. The temporal power of the 
Pope is broken, though, and he will no doubt have to be satisfied 
to be the ruler of the Catholic church. 



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Now we have been in Rome about a week and have passed 
through the city in various directions. It was surely interesting 
to see the Eternal City, its many churches, old monuments, and 
not least, the many obelisks which they have brought hither 
from Egypt to decorate the city parks and other public places. 
To be able to see Rome we should have had at least three months 
at our disposal, but we shall have to be satisfied with what we 
had been able to see in a week. 

When Doctor Martin Luther visited Rome, he found very 
much unbelief and superstition among high and low. There is 
a great deal of misery in Rome as yet, and unbelief has struck 
deep roots in the Eternal City. The moral condition is not 
any better here than anywhere else. Rome has governed the 
world for centuries in the past, and there is a great deal of the 
Roman spirit in these times. May the liberating gospel be 
preached in its truth and purity even here, and then the Son of 
man shall make the people free. 



[ 497 ] 



Chapter XXX 



IN NORTHERN ITALY 

THE ninth of November, about midnight, I left Rome and 
went to northern Italy. When I bought my ticket for 
Venice, the agent tried to cheat me, but he did not succeed. 
Several tourists told me that the station agents in Italy are very 
deceptive when selling tickets to tourists. As we are leaving 
Rome it is dark and we are not able to observe the lay of the 
land. The farther north we come, the colder the climate grows. 
At six o'clock in the morning we are at Florence and remain 
here for some time. This is a very beautiful city, and is located 
in a valley surrounded by hills and mountains. Along this 
valley flows the River Arno, and on its banks is the beautiful 
Florence. Here are churches and schools in abundance, and 
besides, an immense collection of paintings. The citizen of 
Florence is proud of his city and its history, and he has reason 
to be. Here among the Apennines the Renaissance struck deep 
roots. Here is its cradle. One of the chief citizens was Girolamo 
Savanorola, a Dominican monk, who with glowing eloquence 
preached against sin and vice. He wished to establish a theo- 
cratic state according to the Old Testament idea, and represented 
himself as a leader in accordance with this pattern. The Pope 
waged a war against him. He was put under the ban, and later 
on burned at the stake, in the year 1498. 

Great men have risen here. Let us remind ourselves of 
Dante, the man who, in a certain sense, may be called the creator 
of the Italian language; Galileo, the astronomer; Giotti, who 



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has- been styled the ''morning star of the Renaissance"; Amerigo 
Vespucci, who, because of his description of the New World, 
gave his name to it, and last, let us mention Michael Angelo. 
There are many more who have made the city of Florence re- 
nowned. Surely you have a beautiful history, Rose of Italian 
cities. 

Now we are hastening over the Apennines and come to 
Bologna. Here I changed trains and boarded the one which 
should bring me to Venice. The land along the railroad is very 
even, well cultivated, and a great many orchards are seen along 
this road. We are now in the fruitful valley of the River Po. 
The fog hinders us from seeing very far. At two o 'clock we are 
at Venice. It was something unusual to see a city surrounded 
by water, and it is also unique in its character. Directly in 
front of the station is a great lagoon, and here we must go into 
a boat to reach our hotel. As we are going along the lagoon, 
hundreds of gondolas are gliding by, and there stands the 
man with an oar in his hand, guiding and propelling the boat 
as he pleases. Wherever you turn you see water. A railroad 
bridge, two miles long, unites the city with the mainland. Here 
is the queen of the sea on its hundred islands, which are united 
by four hundred and fifty bridges. But how did it happen that 
the people have taken their refuge upon these islands? The 
answer is this: While the barbarian Huns, under Attila, pushed 
forward through the dark forests of Germany at the time of the 
great migrations, the inhabitants of the country were driven 
away, and they had to seek refuge somewhere. The people of 
Italy in this part of the country fled to these islands, and here 
they felt secure. Here they found refuge and built a city whose 
history has been full of vicissitudes. 

Leaving my baggage at the station, I went in a boat to the 
Hotel Blanco. I had never seen such streets before. No car- 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 

riages are rolling along, and everything is so quiet. Here I 
must look around as much as time will permit, and, to be sure, 
there are many objects to be seen, such as paintings, statues, and 
churches. My hotel was quite near a building, which had been 
a palace once upon a time, but which was now used for stores. 
It was an immense building. Not far from here we have St. 
Mark's Church. It is beautifully decorated, but looks somewhat 
antiquated. From this place I went to the bridge called Ponte 
Dei Sospiri, i. e., Bridge of Sighs, which connects the court- 
house with the prison. Many a one has gone from the judgment 
hall, over this bridge, to his death. A walk along the shore at 
this place is very interesting. Here we find how the people 
of Venice spend their time and how they take life easily. Here 
they sit by their coffee cup or some other cup and enjoy life. 

The following morning I was up early and went around the 
city. At half past eight I boarded the train and went along the 
valley of the Po. Our destination was Milan. We spent the 
whole day, almost, in reaching that place. In the afternoon we 
came to a beautiful lake, Lago Garda, at the foot of the Alps. 
Most of the time we saw the Alps towards the north. Along the 
mountain sides we saw villages, and down in the valleys charming 
lakes, which in a remarkable way reflected the distant mountain 
range. On the mountain tops we saw fortresses from the Middle 
Ages. At half past four we were at the station in Milan. Here 
I stopped at the Belleview Hotel, which is in the middle of the 
city, and quite near the Cathedral of Milan. I wished to see 
as many of the sights as I possibly could, for Milan is a great 
city and very old. It is built on a very fruitful plain which, 
when you look at it, takes the aspect of an orchard. Around 
Milan there is a seven-mile-long wall and this is almost circular. 
Because of the fact that the city was in the way of the migratory 
tribes it was very often plundered by merciless hands. The 



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Huns came here, led by Attila, and captured the city in 452, by 
the Herulians under Odoasser in 476, and by the Goths under 
Theodoric in 493. Here the fearless Bishop Ambrosius (397) 
labored so diligently for the propagation of Christ's Kingdom. 
This man was born at Treves, 330, and educated at Rome. Later 
on he became governor in northern Italy. When Bishop Auxen- 
sius died a conflict arose as to who should be the successor. 
Ambrosius was present at the meeting, called to establish peace, 
and here he asked them to choose a bishop in all humility. "While 
he spoke a child cried out, 1 ' Let Ambrosius be chosen bishop ! ' ' 
And he was chosen, although he was only a catechumen at that 
time, and was not even baptized. Shortly after this he was 
baptized, eight days later he was set apart as a bishop, and he 
was a most excellent bishop for the flock of God. 

While Emperor Theodosius massacred seven thousand per- 
sons in Thessalonika and then intended to attend the Lord's 
Supper, the bishop met him at the church door and said, "How 
can you life up your hands in prayer, while they are yet dripping 
with the blood of innocent people? How can you with such 
hands receive His holy body ? How can you bring to your mouth 
His precious blood ? Get thee away from here, and do not dare 
to heap crime upon crime. ' ' The emperor made public penance, 
and was admitted to the Lord's Supper. Not long after this 
event he died and was buried here at Milan. 

But we must enter the wonderful cathedral, the renowned 
dome church at Milan. It is rather gloomy inside and more so 
because the heavens are cloudy. This cathedral was founded in 
1386 and is thus a work of the Middle Ages. They were masters 
of architecture at that time. The style is rather odd; the tower 
is not very large, but a great many smaller turrets are scattered 
here and there over the entire roof. Within we find unmistak- 
able evidence of saint worship ; we must not forget that we are 

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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



in the land of the Pope. Milan is also a center for the beautiful 
arts and here is the home of prominent sculptors, architects, and 
paniters. The art galleries are among the best in Italy, and 
that says a good deal. We cannot describe all the sights that 
we saw in this city, and shall have to leave and prepare to depart 
for a colder climate. Here we are amongst green orchards, 
beautiful villages and cities, picturesque mountains, charming 
valleys, historic temples, museums, libraries, and many other 
objects of interest, but now we must leave all these things to 
depart northward and homeward. 



[ 502 ] 



Chapter XXXI 



OVER THE ALPS TO PARIS 

THE seventh of November found me at the station in Milan, 
and twenty-five minntes later we were on the train, going 
northward to cross the Alps. It did not take long before we 
reached the foothills of the Alps. Here we see many beautiful 
and charming lakes. Soon we arrive at Como, at the southern 
end of the lake on whose sides romantic mountains extend north- 
ward. Along these mountain sides there are a great many 
attractive villages. The name of the lake is also Como. From 
here we come in a little while to Chiasso, at the northern boun- 
dary of Italy. Here Switzerland's collector of customs looked 
through our baggage, but this proved to be very easy for all 
concerned. At Bellizona the train stops long enough for the 
passengers to take dinner. From this place the train winds 
along narrow valleys. Yonder among the mountains snow- 
capped peaks point heavenward. It is very picturesque here, 
and no wonder, for we are among the Alps. I have passed over 
and along many high mountains on my journeys, such as the 
Rocky Mountains, the Cascades, the Alleghanies, and other 
mountains, but I think that the Alps surpass them all in their 
picturesqueness and grandeur. The mountain peaks are more 
pointed and the valleys are particularly inviting. Along the 
mountain sides we notice villages, and in a short time we are at 
the southern end of the St. Gotthard Tunnel. It took just twenty 
minutes to pass through it. On the southern side of the moun- 
tain, just as we entered the tunnel, the weather was very beauti- 

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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



ful and warm, but when we came out at the other end of the 
tunnel at Goeschenen a fearful storm was raging among the 
mountains. This tunnel is 44,994 feet long. Our train passes 
through one tunnel after the other, and late in the afternoon 
we arrive at Luzern. We are now in the heart, so to speak, of the 
Alps country, Switzerland. Here we see some of the most beau- 
tiful lakes among the mountains, and I am not at all surprised 
that tourists wish to live here among these picturesque valleys, 
and along the charming lakes. Late in the evening we come to 
Basel. Here I saw what I also observed at Milan and Venice, 
how the representatives of the various hotels were lined up along 
a certain wall, and there they stood still and said nothing. If 
you wish to select a certain hotel, then they come forth and give 
you all the information you need. A gentlemanly way, indeed ! 
Here I left my baggage at the station and went up into the city 
to look" around and take supper. In Basel I did not stay long. 
At 9 o 'clock in the evening I continued my journey to Paris. 

At ten o'clock the following day I was at Paris, at Gare de 
l'Est, the eastern station in this city, and here I registered at 
Chemin de Fer, a hotel near the station. I secured a map of 
Paris, and with the help of this I went around to the interesting 
places. Here I saw the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and Notre 
Dame. I also visited the noted churches in this city. Above the 
door of one I read these words, f ' Liberte, egalite, f raternite, ' ' the 
same words that we find on the French money. 

I went to Notre Dame at the time when they celebrated 
mass. Here I heard the beautiful song, and looked over the 
cathedral, both within and without. This is comparitively small 
in comparison with St. Paul's in London and St. Peter's in Rome. 
The style is very plain and attractive, and the tourist is very 
well impressed. It was a Sunday when I was there, but very 
few attended the mass. It was quite void and desolate in a spir- 

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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



itual sense. Another day I visited the Pantheon. This temple 
is located on the south side of the Seine. Here we find very many 
beautiful paintings and statues. Here I saw, among other pictures, 
a painting of Joan d-Arc on the funeral pyre. From here we went 
down into the crypt. Here are the tombs of Rousseau, Voltaire, 
and some of the presidents. Here are the remains of Victor 
Hugo. As far as the decorations were concerned it looked to be 
very poor down in the crypt. And why would it be necessary 
to have needless decorations here? 

Not far from this place is the University, and I went there. 
Here the students were going in and out in streams. Near by 
is a church, and I must see it. Here is the burial place of Saint 
Genevieve. On her tomb these words are written, ' 'Indulgence 
de cinq jours a ceaux qui reciteront canq Pater Noster, Ave 
Maria, Gloria Patri devant le tombeau de St. Genevieve." (In- 
dulgence for five days to those who recite the Lord's prayer, Ave 
Maria, Gloria Patri before the tomb of St. Genevieve). Here 
we see another evidence that the Catholic church still believes 
in indulgences. 

On my way through the city I looked into the Musee de 
Luxemburg. There are many things of interest to be seen here, 
but the nudity of the statues is somewhat improper. But we 
must go to the Hotel des Invalides, in the neighborhood of which 
the remains of Napoleon are found. Here everything is grand 
and magnificent. In this edifice you find a cavity in a circular 
form on the floor, and down at the bottom of this the coffin is 
resting on a pedestal. Down there are several flags bearing 
several names, such as Jena, Friedland, Marengo, Austerlitz, 
Pyramids, Rivoli, Moscow and Wacram. Farther on in the 
chapel there is a cover, which is supported by four spiral-formed 
pillars, and behind these and facing the chapel we read these 
words, "Je desire que mes cendres reposent sur le bords de la 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



Seine a melieu de people Frangais, que je tant aime" (I desire 
that my ashes might rest on the banks of the Seine, among the 
French people, which I love so much). Napoleon knew how to 
express himself so as to be understood by the French nation. 

As you wander through the city of Paris you find it is a 
very beautiful city. Here is the home of the styles, and here they 
determine what kind of clothes the ladies shall wear throughout 
the world. In Paris we would need months to be able to see 
the city as it ought to be seen. But time does not permit, so we 
go on and are bound for home. 



[ 506 ] 



Chapter XXXII 



THE JOURNEY HOMEWARD 

LATE in the evening, the 16th of November, I stood at the 
Gare de l'Ouest and there I waited patiently for the de- 
parture of my train for Cherbourg. At six o'clock the following 
morning I was there, and at the Hotel Grand du Casino I waited 
for my steamer, which was to arrive at six o 'clock. I had bought 
my ticket on the German Lloyd Line steamer, Printz Friedrich 
Wilhelm. Here we had to wait till eight o'clock before the ship 
arrived. On a little steamer "Willkornmen" we were brought 
to the ocean liner. It was dark, the storm was roaring quite 
hard, and the great monster was rolling quite a good deal as we 
were boarding it. The following morning we saw, towards the 
right, some lighthouses, which shone on the coast of England. 
Now we are going homeward over another Ponte dei Sospiri, 
Bridge of Sighs. "We have a very desirable company on the boat. 
Most of them are Americans who are homeward bound. 

The storm is raging quite severely sometimes, but our Printz 
breaks through the billows quite easily. Early in the morning, 
the 21st of November, while the passengers were sleeping in 
their cabins, the band played the music to " Nearer My God to 
Thee " and " All Hail to Thee, Blessed Morn ! " It was beauti- 
ful to hear the sweet tones echo over the boat, while the storm 
was raging out there on the ocean. The choral music is certainly 
very beautiful. It was a greeting from the true home country. 
In the morning of the 25th of November we were near the Ameri- 
can coast, outside of New York. As it was dark we anchored 



[ 507] 



THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



at the mouth of the Hudson River. In the morning our boat 
brought us to the landing place. There we see land, our beloved 
country. There is no country under the sun like it. It is beauti- 
ful to disembark after a stormy journey here on earth. How 
grand shall it not be to land on the eternal shores, when all the 
storms of this life have passed away! At 9:15 in the morning 
the "Printz" landed us at the wharf, and we went ashore. Here 
we had to show our baggage to the customs officers, and this was 
the most careful inspection that I have had during my journey. 
The servants of our dear Uncle Sam did their work in a business- 
like manner. I had nothing to fear, as my case was clear. I am 
afraid that some had something on their conscience, though. 

Here we left our fellow travelers, and I went to the immi- 
grant home, where I was very kindly received by the super- 
intendent, the Rev. A. B. Lilja. Accompanied by him, I saw 
a good deal of our greatest city. In the evening I left New York 
and went to Niagara Falls, and enjoyed my visit there immensely. 
From here I went to Chicago, and thence to Minneapolis, and 
home. 

My journey through the Bible countries was ended, my 
youthful dream to see the Land of Promise had become a reality. 
With a kind and loving hand my dear Heavenly Father had pro- 
tected me during this journey, and I had reason to return my 
heartfelt gratitude for his goodness and mercy. My esteemed 
reader has followed me on this interesting journey. We have had 
occasion to look into the condition of the Land of Promise par- 
ticularly. We have spent some quiet hours in Gethsemane, we 
have knelt on Golgotha, and in the Holy Sepulchre. On the 
Mount of Olives our eyes have beheld the unique surroundings, 
where the Son of Man has walked with his blessed feet. We 
have been sitting at the Well of Sychar and there reminding 
ourselves of him who conversed with the woman of Samaria; 

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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



we Jiave been journeying along the shores of Tiberias, along the 
pathways where the blessed Master was walking. 

The land of Canaan is an emblem of the heavenly. This is 
our goal as Christian pilgrims, and longingly we look towards 
that goal. From the storms and turmoil of life, from the hot 
sands of the desert, the pilgrim is longing to reach his destiny, 
the Land of Promise. My feet have stood in the gates of Jeru- 
salem. In the ancient times pilgrims journeyed thither to cele- 
brate festivities in honor of the Lord, and still great throngs of 
pilgrims are going there, that they may make these sacred places 
whisper of faith, love, and hope. God grant that we, having 
finished our pilgrimage on earth, may land in the Canaan of the 
blessed, where we shall unite with the great throng to sing 
glory to the Lamb. During our toilsome journey towards that 
goal, the lamp of God shall throw its light upon our pathway, 
and as we are journeying, we shall sing : 

"My heart is yearning ever 
To reach a place of rest, 
Jerusalem, 
My happy home, 
In thee my heart shall never 

By sin or grief be pressed. 
My heart is yearning ever 
To reach that city blest. 

Behold the goal in glory, 
Now shining from afar; 
Oh, city of 
The God of love, 
Where no more earthly worry 
My happiness shall mar! 



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THROUGH THE LAND OF PROMISE 



Behold the goal in glory, 
Now shining from afar ! 

And even I shall conquer 
In Jesus' name and might. 
Though weak and faint, 
Still as a saint, 
I '11 . in the haven anchor, 
Sweet haven of delight. 
Yea, even I shall conquer 
In Jesus' name and might." 

(Finis) 



[510] 



